23-06-2017

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

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PHUKET SOLDIER SLAIN IN PATTANI LAID TO REST > PAGE 3

NEWS

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Child beggars at gypsy village get out of hand

SUNSET DANGER

LIFE

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Phuket’s ‘Hooto’ wows Thailand

Lifeguards are to clear all swimmers from the water at popular beaches at sunset to prevent tourists from drowning. Photo: The Phuket News

GOVERNOR ORDERS BEACH WARNING LIGHTS, ‘AFTER DARK BAN’ TO PREVENT DROWNINGS Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

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he Phuket Gover nor has called for a blanket ban on the beaches after dark among a raft of ideas to help prevent people, especially tourists, from drowning at Phuket beaches.

Governor Norraphat Plodthong called for the beach night ban at an emergency meeting held last Thursday (June 15) at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket headquarters (DDPM-Phuket).

The meeting was called after two people drowned and many tourists were rescued after entering dangerous surf at Phuket beaches last week.

At the meeting were representatives from the Phuket Lifeguard Service, the Phuket Protection and Prevention Office, the Tourism Business and Guide Registration and the Phuket Hotels Association as well as officers from the Royal Thai Police.

“I want officials to treat this situation seriously and to watch out for tourists,” Gov Norraphat told the meeting.

“My goal is to have zero drownings in Phuket,” he said.

“Tourists ignoring our warnings is the main issue – especially Russian and Chinese tourists,” explained Watcharin Patomwatthanapong, Acting Chief of Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO), which oversees the government project to have lifeguards at Phuket beaches.

“And they like to go to the beach at night and get drunk,” he added.

To this, Gov Norraphat noted that in order to protect all tourists, “I think officials should set up a special

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regulation to ban tourists from the beach after 6:30pm.”

Gov Norraphat also called for Phuket lifeguards to extend their patrol hours to 7:30pm each night to ensure no people are in the water after dark.

“This would only be to check the surf and ask people to leave the beach,” he said. “After that, extra force from local municipalities, police and volunteers will inspect beaches to ensure the ban is enforced.”

Gov Norraphat also called on hotels and resorts to do more to inform...

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After-dark beach ban to prevent drownings

Continued from page 1 ...their guests of the dangers of the surf.

“Please have video presentations warning about dangerous waves in reception areas and inside guest rooms,” he told the Phuket Hotels Association representative.

Gov Norraphat added that a budget is being sought to install revolving warning lights and quality CCTV along beachfronts to warn people of dangerous surf conditions.

“This is to warn tourists they are entering a danger zone,” he said.

Gov Norraphat ordered DDPM-Phuket Acting Chief Mongkol Temrat to spearhead the campaign to improve beach surf safety and to report all problems – and any progress on any solutions – to him as quickly as possible.

Mr Mongkol wasted no time. “I sent the report to the Phuket Governor on Monday (June 19),” he told The Phuket News.

The report recommends that: 1. Police patrol beaches at night; 2. Civil Defense Volunteers assist in checking the beaches after 7:30pm; 3. T he PPAO m a ke s 7:30pm the standard finishing time for Phuket lifeguards; and

4. CCTV is installed at every beach under a budget provided by the PPAO. Meanwhile, Prathaiyuth Chuayuan, Chief of the Phuket Lifeguard Service, called for Gov Norraphat to look into the range of difficulties Phuket lifeguards are facing, and their current push to develop a professional life-saving service with lifeguards trained and equipped to international standards.

“I wish the Phuket Governor would think about our requirements. I have just handed the list to him before he left the meeting today (June 15),” Mr Prathaiyuth told The Phuket News after the meeting.

“The Governor asking us to work extra hours we will have to do by command,” he noted, though for years Phuket lifeguards have pleaded for more funds to protect swimmers at the beaches.

On this front, Phuket lifeguards have not received support. Instead, the PPAO last December cut their budget by 10%. To this, after an appeal by International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA) President Henry Reyes directly to PM Gen Prayut Chan-ocha, Deputy PM Gen Thanasak Patimapragorn ordered officials to take steps to support Phuket’s lifeguard service.

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Charter captain accidentally tows away key dive site attraction > page 5

Riot leaders at juvenile centre taken to prison Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

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special response team was called to quell a riot at the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Centre in Phuket Town late Tuesday afternoon (June 20) as more than a dozen youth inmates protested violently against four “leaders” being moved to Phuket Provincial Prison.

Officers at the centre, located on Sakdidet Rd, called for backup at about 4pm after they found they could not contain the youths, who were smashing windows and tearing apart the dormitory and other areas in the youth detention facility.

Phuket City Police led

by Deputy Commander Lt Col Nikorn Chuthong soon arrived at the centre together with officers from a specialresponse team assigned to the Phuket Provincial Police as well as wardens from Phuket Provincial Prison.

Inside the facility were at least 12 male inmates running amok and shouting, police reported.

Offices took about 30 minutes to control the situation,

Officers at the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Centre called for backup after they could not contain the youth inmates running amok. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Col Nikorn said.

“No severe action was used against them,” he assured.

The riot broke out after four ringleaders inside the facility were temporarily transferred to Phuket Provincial Prison, Col Nikorn explained.

“They wanted their leaders back. Officers took their four leaders to Phuket Prison a few days ago after the four fought with other youths,” he said.

It was not clarified on whether youths not of adult age were allowed to be held in the prison, even temporarily.

Regardless, the inmates caught rioting at the juvenile centre on Tuesday were also taken to Phuket Prison to be held there temporarily.

Col Nikorn alluded to another possible reason adding to the pent up anger among youths being detained in the juvenile centre.

“On June 14-16, 31 male inmates and seven female inmates were taken for a field trip to Koh Lon, south of Phuket,” he said.

“They asked local residents for some tobacco, but only some of them were given tobacco, which made some of them angry,” Col Nikorn added.

“However we are still investigating the incident,” Col Nikorn said.

Lifeguards warn of ‘flame jellyfish’ Three dead as bike slams wreck T H E PH U K E T L I F E guard Service have issued a warning of an influx of “flame jellyfish”, scientific name Rhopilema esculentum, which have already stung beachgoers at beaches on the island’s west coast.

The lifeguard service posted on their Facebook page last Sunday (June 18) reports with photos of two separate jellyfish sting cases – one at Bang Tao Beach, the other at Kamala Beach.

By Wednesday, lifeguards reported other types of jellyfish at Patong, Surin and Bang Tao beaches.

“We used vinegar as a standard treatment for the stings. For Thai skin, we use sea morning glory, but it is not medically authorised and may irritate

The flame jellyfish has been at both Bang Tao and Kamala beaches. Photo: Phuket Lifeguard Service foreigners’ sunburned skin further so we do not use it for foreigners,” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyuth Chuayuan told The Phuket News.

“If you are stung by a jellyfish, do not urinate on the sting. It’s an ancient myth,” he warned.

Speaking of the flame jellyfish, Mr Prathaiyuth explained, “Flame jellyfish normally live in deep waters. They like warm temperatures, not too hot or cold. Now as it’s low season they are more likely to be found closer to shore, especially in the morning when the water is warm…

“The sting of the flame jellyfish is not too serious, but will cause a patchy rash which is similar to mosquito bites.

“Please use a wetsuit or a shirt to protect your skin when swimming or ask local authorities about whether the zone is safe, as there is a possibility that the jellyfish will be within the red zones,” he warned.

The Phuket News

T H R EE PEOPLE DI ED and several more injured after a pickup truck struck a van carrying China Airlines crew, including pilots, and overturned on Thepkrasattri Rd in Thalang early last Sunday morning (June 18), and was then struck by a big bike travelling at high speed.

Capt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police was notified of the accidents, on Thepkrasattri Rd northbound, at 2am.

Capt Kraisorn arrived at the scene with rescue teams and medical staff from Thalang Hospital to find a white Trangregistered van by the side of the road, with a white Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck overturned 150 metres away partially blocking the inside northbound lane.

A Bangkok-registered Suzuki 1,000cc big bike was on

Re s c u e te a m s r e n d e r assistance at the scene. the ground 30m from the van.

Van driver Prajuab Chuaywang, 45, told police that he was taking more than 10 China Airlines crew members from a hotel in Kalim to Phuket International Airport when the van was hit from behind by a pickup truck travelling at high speed.

Mr Prajuab and the airline staff in the van escaped with only minor injuries.

Pickup truck driver Atthaphan Panthip, 36, also suffered minor injuries, and his

passengers were unharmed in the accident.

While passers-by were rendering assistance to those still in the overturned pickup truck, the Suzuki motorbike approached at high speed and ploughed into the pickup, hitting several of the people rendering assistance.

The big bike driver, Thanadol Saila, 33, from Bangkok, died at the scene. His passenger, Pacharee Wuthiphan-ayu, 29, from Maha Sarakham, was pronounced dead on arrival at Thalang Hospital.

Three women suffered minor injuries from the motorbike impact, but Pornsawhan Khongpetch, 51, a security guard at a nearby business, suffered serious injuries and was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, where he was later pronounced dead.

Eakkapop Thongtub thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Laid to rest Phuket soldier slain in Pattani blast Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

The body of Pvt Kitthiphong Borna is carried from his family’s home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Pvt Kitthiphong’s father, 53-year-old Phuket taxi driver Prasong Borna, was still in shock at the family home on Monday afternoon.

“I am extremely sad about losing our youngest son,” he said with tears rolling down his face.

“I am very proud of my son as a soldier who stepped up to do his duty for his country.”

Pvt Kitthiphong was to complete his two years compulsory national service as a

soldier in October.

Pvt Kitthiphong is survived by his wife, Sukanya Pathan, 22, and his 16-monthold son, Mimbus.

Ms Sukanya explained that she last spoke with her husband only hours before the bomb took his life.

“My husband video called me at 10am. He said he missed his son a lot, and that he would soon celebrate Hari Raya with me and our son,” she said.

“After that he said he had

Army dismisses Krabi bomb pickup raid as ‘fake news’ COL SANTI SAKUNTANark, Commander of the 25th Infantry Regiment and the highest-ranking army officer stationed in Phuket, has dismissed a report of a pickup truck loaded with grenades and bomb-making equipment being seized in Krabi as “fake news”.

The report, posted online

by Bankaonews.com on June 13, said that a man had been arrested and his pickup truck seized in the tourist-popular area of Ao Nang, Krabi, after it was found that he was in possession of grenades and bomb-making materials.

The pickup truck was seemingly registered in Narathiwat, and the man said he was “heading for somewhere in Krabi Phang Nga Phuket”, said the very brief report.

The report included photos of the items seized.

“That is not real news,” Col Santi told The Phuket News last Wednesday (June 14).

“It came from Krabi province, and it’s not possible to relate to Phuket. I am confident that is not real news at all,” he added.

Asked, how he knew the @thephuketnews

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Col Tassanai receives flowers from the Patong Entertainment Business Association. Photo: PR Dept

Nightlife bosses welcome New Patong Police Chief

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he body of A r my Private Kitthiphong Borna, one of the six soldiers killed in a road-bomb blast in Pattani on Monday, was laid to rest at Baan Bang Duk Muslim cemetery in Mai Khao, in northern Phuket, on Tuesday morning (June 20).

The funeral began early on Tuesday at the family home, from where an Army burial detail carried his body to the cemetery nearby, where Pvt Kitthiphong was laid to rest at 9am.

Pvt Kitthiphong, whose family live in Mai Khao, at the northern end of Phuket, was among 10 soldiers in a truck on patrol in Thung Yang Daeng district when the bomb detonated at about midday.

“The truck was checking the area as per routine when the bomb, planted on the road, exploded right as they were passing,” said Maj Phompetch Chotglang of the Thung Yang Daeng Police.

PHUKET NEWS

The photograph posted featured a host of grenades and bomb-making materials. Photo: Bankaonews.com news was “fake”, Col Santi explained, “The soldiers in the photo are soldiers based in Krabi about to conduct a search of a dormitory.”

Also, his soldiers in Phuket have checked the details of the truck and found it not listed as seized or wanted for any illegalities, he added.

“This has nothing to do with a bomb search at all. I don’t know where they got the bomb photo from, but the publisher mixed these photos

with few details in the news,” he said.

Col Santi assured action against those who posted the photos and news.

“I will find out who published this to clarify why they did this. I have already reported this to my commander,” he said.

“I do not want this fake news to make people misunderstand what has – or has not – actually happened,” Col Santi added.

The Phuket News

to get dressed to be ready for patrol. Then the signal was gone. Not long after that I received a call with the bad news that I had lost him,” Ms Sukanya said.

Shocked and still in deep grief, Ms Sukanya added, “My husband was a good guy who loved his family. He was taken too soon.”

Meanwhile, Pvt Kitthiphong has been promoted posthumously to the rank of Sergeant Major 1st Class.

N E W LY A P P O I N T E D Patong Police Chief Col Tassanai Orarigadech has been welcomed to his new role by business owners from the Patong Entertainment Business Association.

Col Tassanai was presented with flowers by the group outside the entrance to Patong Police Station last Friday (June 16).

“I lived in Patong for 10 years so I can truly say that I am a Patong resident. This is like coming back to my home,” he said.

“We are willing to do anything that can help make people happy. I am not worried to be Patong Police Chief, as Patong people are very nice and the community cooperates well with our police officers,” he added.

Well-known Patong business figure Preechawut “Prab”

Keesin of the Pisona Group spoke to Col Tassanai about several issues on the safety and commercial prosperity of the town, including the “24 hours Clean Bangla” project and the “Thousand Eyes” CCTV project.

“We also have a social media group for people to post incidents in order increase police officer’s awareness of dangerous or criminal activities,” said Mr Preechawut.

“The proposal for extending the closing times of entertainment venues is currently under consideration by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

“It is our hope that it will be adopted as we believe that the extended hours will benefit the economy and encourage investment in Patong,” he added.

The Phuket News

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PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

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Beggars begone GENERAL MANAGER

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Officials raided the IT Zone at Jungceylon at around midday last Friday (June 16).

Counterfeit raid hits mall OFFICIALS FROM THE Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) carried out a series of raids in the touristpopular area of Patong Beach last week and in just a matter of hours seized counterfeit goods with an estimated street value of about B500,000.

At around midday last Friday (June 16) Maj Adichart Amornpradit from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) along with officers from the DIP raided and seized counterfeit items from the IT Zone on the third floor of Patong’s main shopping mall, Jungceylon, which has been marked as a “red area” for counterfeit goods.

The raid was prompted by foreigners who complained that the goods they bought were not genuine, said police.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Sea gypsy kids warned of police action Shela Riva reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

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he Mayor of Rawai, A roon Solos, h a s warned that police will intervene if the children of the Rawai sea gypsy village continue to beg from tourists in the area.

The warning, issued on Monday, comes after further photos circulated on social media showing the children begging from people who visit Rawai, especially the area near Rawai Pier.

A meeting was held at Phuket Provincial Hall last Friday (June 15) between Vice Governor Siwaporn Chuasawad, the head of the Rawai sea gypsy community and representatives of various educational institutions which concluded on a clampdown on the begging children.

However, on Monday, just three days after last Friday’s meeting, photos were posted online showing a young sea

Cat blamed in Chinese driver pickup wipe-out PR MANAGER Natchaya (Nat) Sittiprasert 088 765 5881 pr@classactmedia.co.th

A CHINESE MAN DRIVing to Phuket International Airport in the early hours of Monday morning (June 20) to pick up friends has blamed a cat crossing the road for his pickup truck wiping out and hitting a power pole broadside.

Capt Chatree Choowichein of the Thalang Police was notified of the accident, on Thepkrasattri Rd northbound near the Tha Reua Shrine, at 2am.

Capt Chatree arrived at the scene with Srisoonthorn rescue workers to find the Bangkok-registered pickup slammed sideways into the power pole.

“Chinese national Xu Zhongneng, 31, suffered head injuries in the accident. He was taken to Thalang Hospital,” Capt Chatree said.

At the hospital, Mr Xu, from Guangxi Province in China, told police he was driving from Soi Palai in Chalong to Phuket Inter-

Xu Zhongneng, 31, said he swerved to avoid running over a cat while driving to Phuket International Airport to pick up friends. national Airport to pick up friends.

“Mr Xu said that along the way, a cat ran out in front of him, so he swerved to avoid running over it,” Capt Chatree reported.

“He lost control of his vehicle and collided with the power pole,” he added.

Capt Chatree did not mention whether Mr Xu was tested for drugs or alcohol or whether any investigation would be launched to determine whether Mr Xu was speeding.

Eakkapop Thongtub

ABOVE: Head of the Rawai sea gypsy community, Mr Niran Yangpan. RIGHT: A sea gypsy boy hangs on a tourist as he tries to walk away. Photos: PR Dept / Supplied gypsy boy tugging at a woman’s long dress, and in another photo holding a man by the hand as the man tried to walk away.

Mayor Aroon responded to the photos by saying, “Right now there will be no arresting of the children, but we will extend an invitation to parents to have a meeting together with the children, police, other sea

gypsies and their village headmen… During the meeting the parents will be told to teach their kids not to this. This is the first approach we will take.

“Then, if the behaviour persists, then police must be responsible to catch them and train them,” he added.

Head of the Rawai sea gypsy community, Mr Niran

Yangpan, said, “The issue of children begging for money is now a chronic problem. I have spoken to the parents of the children involved and explained that what their children are doing is illegal. However, the parents feel that their children are doing nothing wrong. They told me that it is okay for children to ask for money.”

Expat dead by knife in chest P OL IC E BE L I E V E A French expat found dead in his home in Kamala last Thursday morning (June 15) died by his own hand, stabbing himself in the chest with a knife.

Capt Prasert Thongprom of the Kamala Police was notified at 10:45am.

Officers and rescue workers arrived to find the body of the man, identified as Henri Paul Jean Melot, 81, from Morlaix, slumped in a chair beside his computer with a knife in his left chest.

“There were no other signs of a struggle. The television and computer were still on. We believe he died no more than four hours before we arrived,” Capt Prasert said that morning.

Forensic police inspected the scene, he confirmed.

“Police at this stage believe the man died by his own hand,” Capt Prasert said.

A Tourist Police officer at the house in Kamala last Thursday (June 15).

Photo: Tourist Police “Regardless, we have had the man’s body taken to Patong Hospital for further examination. We have also contacted the French embassy representatives and informed them of the death,” he added.

Tourist Police reported that Mr Melot lived in the house with his wife and that he was suffering from lung cancer.

Ms Chaler msee, Mr Melot’s wife, explained to The Phuket News later that afternoon that Henri was a retired doctor.

“It was a normal morning,” she said. “We both got up, and the nurse was in the bedroom cleaning when a friend of mine stopped by.

“Henri was in the living room, on the computer when I went outside to talk with my friend – I was outside less than five minutes when I heard his chair shaking,” Ms Chalermsee recounted.

“The last thing I saw was Henri waving at me…

I thought he wanted to go to the bathroom… and then the nurse screamed,” she said.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

PHUKET NEWS

5

Lakkhana Sakunphong, from Krabi, was rushed by to Chalong Pier, where Phuket rescue workers and medical staff were waiting for her. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Volunteer dies amid artificial reef project The motorbike hauled away by the anchor was one of several that have become favourites among divers at popular dive sites off Phuket. Photo: Seafarer Divers

Anchors away

Charter captain tows away dive site motorbike The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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French charter boat captain has landed in hot water after dropping anchor at a popular dive site south of Phuket, nearly striking a submerged scuba diver on the head with the anchor in the process.

Six divers were at the “standing motorbike” site, in Bay 1 off the east coast of Racha Yai Island, when the anchor came bundling down – the anchor chain hitting one of the dive party on the head

in the process.

“It was very lucky that no one was killed in the process,” said one diver in a flurry of comments posted on Facebook after the incident.

“One instructor hit in the head with the chain. Marine police have been informed,” another wrote.

Adding insult to injury, after the anchor dropped it snagged the motorbike and hauled it away along the seabed, effectively removing the dive attraction.

Following up on the report, Olly Wilce, the Base Manager

Tourists injured in Krabi climbing fall AN ARGENTINIAN WOMan and Austrian man were left seriously injured last week following a climbing accident in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket.

The Tourist’s Friend Centre received a report at 7:30pm last Tuesday (June 13) that two tourists had fallen from a cliff located between Ao Ton Sai and Ao Pai Plong in Krabi, just north of Railay Beach.

Soldiers, tourist and marine police, and rescue workers took three hours to walk two kilometres to reach the scene, and when they arrived found two injured foreigners lying on the ground.

The woman, named as Maria Florencia Clavetti, 28, from Argentina, had sustained injuries to her back and hip, along with a broken arm and leg. @thephuketnews

Mr Rakuschan and Ms Clavetti were injured in a climbing fall north of Railay Beach. Photo: Marine Salvage The man, Thomas Rakuschan, 27, from Austria, had broken his ankle and leg.

Rescue workers provided first aid and with great difficultly removed them from the area.

Both Ms Clavetti and Mr Rakuschan were initially taken to the First Standard Clinic in Ao Nang. However, they were later transferred to Wattanapat Hospital in Trang.

Eakkapop Thongtub

at TUI Marine (The Moorings, Sunsail, Footloose and LeBoat) and Training Manager/Chief Instructor at JAVA Yachting, confirmed the incident was a “mistake”.

“The captain was given a full briefing, it’s not the company’s fault,” Mr Wilce said last Wednesday (June 14).

“All my customers upon arrival are given a full chart brief on the sailing grounds and told strictly about the no anchoring areas. Racha Yai and Noi being two of them,” Mr Wilce told The Phuket News.

“The motorbike is a diver attraction and they happened to catch it with the anchor when trying to retrieve it (the anchor).

“This is a mistake which has never happened with one of our yachts before. And I assure everyone it will not happen again,” Mr Wilce said.

Mr Wilce’s quick response was well received by Phuket’s dive community.

Meanwhile, it has yet to be reported if the motorbike has been returned to the site, or if another one will be installed to replace it.

POLICE ARE HOPING TO confirm the cause of death of a 35-year-old volunteer diver who fainted soon after resurfacing from assisting in a government project to install an artificial reef at Racha Yai Island, south of Phuket, last Sunday (June 18).

Lakkhana Sakunphong, from Krabi, was among 26 divers carrying out a project by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket office to install an artificial reef at Kon Kae Bay. The dive team were working under the direction of four Phuket DMCR officers.

“They depar ted f rom Panwa Cape (in Phuket) at 8:30am,” said one volunteer, who asked not to be named.

“At about noon Ms Lakkhana’s tank was almost empty. She returned to the surface with us, and was still talking while we were on the surface,” the diver said.

“We swam toward our boat, the Sangthong, which was waiting nearby, but she fainted (in the water) before

we got there,” the diver added.

Ms Lakkhana was brought on board the Sangthong, but remained unconscious and staff on board were unable to find a pulse.

“People on the boat administered CPR and gave her oxygen (provided by the nearby Seafarer Divers boat) while we brought her back to Chalong Pier,” the diver added.

Rescue workers and medical staff from the Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department of the Chalong Hospital (which is still under construction) were on hand to provide assistance when the boat arrived at Chalong Pier at about 3pm.

However, Ms Lakkhana was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Chalong Hospital A&E centre minutes later.

Her body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital to determine the cause of death, The Phuket News was told.

Watcharin Thintalang, Director of the Phuket DMCR office, declined to comment about Ms Lakkhana’s death.

The Phuket News

Opinion 6

OPINION

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

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084 307 7408 execeditor@classactmedia.co.th Fifteen years working in news and covering local issues and events in Phuket, with 18-month hiatus spent working for the Brunei Times on Borneo. From Queensland, Australia; 10 years living in the UK before moving to Phuket in 2000. Degree in business management. Spare time spent sailing or with family.

MATTHEW POND

News & Sports Editor

editor3@classactmedia.co.th Originally from the UK; Has over six years experience as editor and reporter for Phuketindex.com magazine and website, and InPhuket magazine.

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Lifestyle Editor

editor1@classactmedia.co.th From Melbourne, Australia, Mark holds a BA from La Trobe University where he completed a double major in Anthropology and Media Studies.

He has over eight years experience as a journalist, photographer and editor for several magazines and newspapers.

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EDITORIAL

Begging for assimilation

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he recent reports of sea gypsy children begging for money from tourists at Rawai Pier (see p4) is merely a symptom of a much deeper problem faced by this marginalised community. The sea gypsies’ traditional way of life, their language, culture, livelihoods, land rights and political status have been sidelined by Thai society for decades.

The meagre scrap of land in Rawai where the community resides, and has done so for centuries according to even the DSI (Thailand’s equivalent to the FBI), has long been targeted by developers intent on pushing them off so they can build yet more tourist accommodation.

Only little more than a decade ago that these people started being recognised by the Thai government as citizens, though the children by law have always had access to education and other basics

provided by the state. As they continue the slow process of integrating into wider society they face the same problems that typically beset indigenous communities that are enveloped by a dominant society – namely illiteracy, lack of access to health and employment opportunities, alcohol and drug addiction and social discrimination.

These problems are further exacerbated in this case by the stark inequality that results from them being smack bang in the middle of an international tourist hub like Phuket – and Rawai in particular. As their parents eke a living from overfished waters and day labouring and return to their tiny shacks – surrounded as they are by luxury tourist hotels – the children must surely wonder at this endless stream of foreigners with seemingly endless amounts of money

who visit their community and take photographs of their “rustic” lives.

The paternalistic actions of many charities, no doubt with the best of intentions, often does little to help the situation – much the same can be said of people who give money to the children who beg.

On a recent visit to the Rawai sea gypsy village, this writer witnessed a brand-new SUV pull up outside the village, whereupon emerged a group of local charity workers who began handing out colouring books and pencils to the eager children who quickly caught on to what was happening and swarmed the vehicle.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions – and both the people and organisations offering handouts to should consider the unintended consequences of their “generosity”.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

French expat dead by knife in chest Phuket Opinion: It pays to be honest Phuket high-speed accident leaves 3 dead, Chinese air crew safe Phuket shopping mall raid sees B500k of fake goods seized Three clubs raided in Pattaya Volunteer diver dies after installing artificial reef off Phuket Phuket’s killer surf claims Chinese tourist New Patong Police Chief welcomed by entertainment operators P h u ke t r e s i d e n t s demand clean-up of beach rubbish Two-metre-long king cobra removed from car engine in Phuket

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY Horror in the South

Re: Relatives mourn Phuket soldier’s death in Pattani road-bomb attack Thank you to The Phuket News for a story that brings the horror of the situation in the South closer to home. Good, and relevant, reporting. How sad that some commentors here missed the entire point of the story, and used it as an excuse to launch into some mindless drivel about pickup trucks. Jeesh.

Ematt ...................................................

Simple solution

Re: Phuket Poll: Should travel insurance be compulsory?

A small fee attached to obtaining a visa should be deposited into a fund. Adjusted to make sure medical events are covered.

Rich 44 ...................................................

Serving the public

Re: Two-metre-long king cobra removed from car engine in Phuket Sounds like the owner of the car was “hiss-terical”. Great to see the Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation rescue team doing

a great job and public service.

Well done!

LES

Wrong priorities

Re: Phuket beach warning lights, ‘after dark ban’ to prevent tourist drownings It’s a good idea to try and stop drunk people swimming at night but with a huge coastline who on earth is going to enforce it?

It’s a bit like traffic laws, there are plenty of them but no one enforces those either.

Many more people are killed on scooters than drown, so how about prioritizing that?

Just a thought.

Discover Thainess ...................................................

Killer publicity

Re: Phuket’s killer surf claims Chinese tourist, 17; Americans rescued I agree the waves are not so large compared to other destinations but the moniker “killer” surely is appropriate when so many are tragically dying in them.

Once upon a time the local govt kept a running tab on drownings, which were reported, but it got so embarrassing and potentially

harmful to the almighty baht, publicly disclosed tallies were stopped. I would not be surprised if per capita, Phuket is the drowning capital of the known universe.

Christy Sweet All tourists get warned by life-guards about the danger of swimming in rough seas and everywhere on Phuket beaches you have red flags to inform them not to go swimming.

But stubborn tourists and drunkards don’t care. Their families later blame it on the Thai authorities and say local people did not to protect their siblings. All did, but their choice to breach basic safety rules ended with tragic consequences.

Asterix I agree with Asterix. Unfortunately the Chinese tourist paid the ultimate price. It’s an important reminder to all of us when on holidays not to leave our common sense at home. If only they had adhered to the red flag rules. RIP. B1ackdrag0n

Strange behaviour

Re: Belgian phone store shoplifters arrested at Phuket Airport I have a hard time believing anyone would pay B6k then shoplift something of B600 value, it seems like a witch hunt to me and without a doubt there are far more serious crimes let go than this. Let’s maintain a grip on reality here.

Pauly 44 A theft is a theft no matter how much you spend, or which country you are in.

Jor12 ...................................................

Phuket style in the eye of the beholder

Re: Construction of multibillion-baht expressway must progress, says Phuket Governor It is to be decorated in Phuket style... that means there will be loads of rubbish along its entire length. Oh, and at least one of the lanes will be full of vendors in dilapidated salengs, and one more lane filled with the parked vehicles of the vendor’s customers.

Timothy

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

THAILAND NEWS

Lifting lid on temple scam

7

Former abbot reveals details about how finance fraud is carried out BANGKOK Bangkok Post

A

former abbot of a temple in Lampang that was accused of being involved in the temple finance scam has revealed details about how the fraud is carried out.

The 48-year-old, whose name has been withheld, left the monkhood more than a year ago and now resides in the province.

“I have all the evidence for officers,” he said while popping anti-depression pills to ease his stress.

He added he was also scared of the evidence.

“I was ordained at the temple for 10 years and gradually renovated the temple building with donations from followers.

Once 70% of the construction was done, a person from the central Buddhism office contacted us to ask if we wanted more to complete our work,” the former monk said.

“I wanted to finish the project so I said yes. The central office sent me a form to fill for the project. After four months,

a woman contacted me and offered a specific amount. The money was later transferred to me over three instances, around B100,000 each time,” he said. He said he had seen the woman making merit at the temple before.

The former abbot said the agent did not ask for a payback at first. But when the person wired the third sum, she gave the monk her bank account details and asked for kickbacks, he said.

“I did not know what to do.

Part of me feared many things.

I never visited the central office, I only made phone calls. I was afraid if I visited the office and they found out there were records of money transfers, I would be in trouble. And I was afraid our temple would not be able to move up the ecclesiastical rank in the future. There were a lot of thoughts rushing through my mind. Eventually I decided to transfer the money back and used the money that I had previously received to complete the construction of the temple,” he said.

“Other temples are also asked to pay this so-called ‘change’ money from public

funds, because none of them knew officers from the central office,” he said.

According to a preliminary investigation by the police, five temples in Lampang were among 12 temples nationwide suspected of involvement in the temple finance scam.

Police were investigating the scam after primary findings showed suspects involved in the scam had connections to high-ranking officials at the National Office of Buddhism (NOB). The police found B60.5 million was siphoned out of 12 temples’ maintenance fund in the shape of so-called “change” money.

Commissioner of Central Investigation Bureau Thitirach Nhongharnpitak has ordered the police Counter-Corruption Division to probe the 12 cases related to “change” money, leading to raids at 10 suspects’ homes Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Bangkok on June 8.

On June 16, Counter Crime Division (CCD) commander Maj Gen Kamol Rienracha summarised seven out of 12 cases before the National AntiCorruption Commission. The five other cases were to be

Templegoers pay their respects at a popular temple in Phitsanulok province during the Songkran festival in April last year. Photo: Post Today submitted to the NACC on Monday (June 19).

The investigation found the pattern of fraud in all the cases was similar to what the former abbot revealed. The government allocates a budget to the NOB for temple renovations and new projects at temples periodically, and the use of the funds has lately been riddled with corruption.

The suspects, some of whom were high-ranking officers of the NOB, would contact temple abbots to propose funding for projects. Corrupt officials would then demand kickbacks. The temple abbot would be expected to give them some “change” in exchange for a project at the temple.

The probe found the gang consisted of four NOB officials, five outsiders who were agents used to contact abbots, and one monk.

The police filed charges

against five suspects and have summoned the other five for questioning.

The main suspect was in a senior position at the NOB and is believed to have fled after transferring all the money outside Thailand, said police.

The gang was divided into four groups to target temples in four regions.

The police began investigating the temple scams in August 2015 after the Office of the Auditor General reported to the CCD that they found irregularities in the temple maintenance budget at Huay Kwang Jing temple in Phetchburi province.

The OAG then traced money trails between the NOB and 33 temples from 2012 to 2016.

Paiboon Nititawan, a National Reform Council member, said he believed there were more than 12 temples involved in the scam. Temples’ finan-

cial support is classified into maintenance, education and teaching dissemination.

“I have also learned some temples fake the number of religious students to increase the budget allocated to them.

Some temples only had 150 students but they reported they have 200,” he told the Bangkok Post.

He said he would ask the Office of Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission to probe whether the abbots of the 12 temples were involved in the scam.

Phra Ratcha Wijit Patiparn, abbot of Wat Ratburana in Chumphon, one of the 12 named by police, says he welcomes an investigation into the temple’s finances. He said all the money the temple received from the NOB to build a chapel and extend a meeting hall had been passed to the building contractor.

Temples transformed: superheroes bolster Buddha’s ranks NONTHABURI SUPERHEROES ARE coming to the rescue of Thailand’s temples, where monks have commissioned giant statues of comic book icons and toy robots to entertain children while parents donate to their coffers.

Instead of the traditional tranquil Buddhas and mythical

beasts that adorn most monasteries in the land, the shimmering Wat Ta Kien temple outside Bangkok is guarded by three towering Transformer robots.

The enormous and intricate sculptures, made from bits of scrap metal and painted bright orange, yellow and blue, “have no spiritual purpose”, explained monk Pra Vichien.

“It’s for children so they won’t get bored when they

Instead of the traditional Buddhas and mythical beasts that adorn most monasteries in the land, the shimmering Wat Ta Kien temple outside Bangkok is guarded by three towering Transformer robots. Photo: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP @thephuketnews

come to the temple with their parents,” he said.

Other temples are following suit in a country whose monasteries compete to draw visitors and keep donations flowing.

At least four Buddhist temples across Thailand and a meditation centre have bought superhero statues, according to Pairoj Thanomwong, the Thai artist who runs the workshop where the sci-fi monsters and comic book figures are manufactured.

Armed with blow torches, heaps of metal bolts and twisted car parts, the artists piece together the elaborate sculptures in a warehouse in central Thailand called “Ban Hun Lek”, which translates to “House of Iron Robots”.

The largest sculptures – around seven to eight metres high – can be sold for thousands of dollars, he said.

The factory also sells its wares to local restaurants and bars but its biggest customer

base lies abroad, especially in Europe, with around 80% of sales made to overseas clients who have seen the statues on social media.

Pairoj started with comic book classics but has expanded production to include everything from steely desks and chairs to

polished replicas of luxury cars and motorcycles.

Nearly 90% of the materials are recycled metal, a cost-cutting measure that also means each piece is unique.

Tastes have changed quickly since he went into business, he said.

“In terms of the products that people like, it evolves over time,” Pairoj explained.

“Over the past 10 years, people used to like (characters from) Alien and Predator, but now they like the Transformers.”

AFP

THAILAND NEWS

8

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Bomb suspect offers apology

Hospital bomber says sorry to victims, insists he acted alone BANGKOK Bangkok Post

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atana Pumret, the man suspected of being behind the bomb attack at Phramongkutklao Hospital, has offered his apologies to the victims, while insisting he acted alone without support from any political group.

Speaking to the media for the first time since he was detained last Wednesday (June 14), the 62-year-old retired engineer said the attack was aimed at venting his frustrations against the military government.

Mr Watana is accused of being behind six bombings between 2007 and 2017, and he has allegedly confessed to each one.

“I was inspired by my hatred for governments that come from military coups. Each coup has caused an economic disaster and restricted people’s rights,” said the accused man.

“Every attack was meant to be a statement against the government. I did not aim to

Wattana Phumret (centre), 62, a suspect in the bombing of a military hospital on May 22, is escorted by Thai police during a crime re-enactment at King Mongkut Hospital in Bangkok. Photo: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP take anyone’s life … I would like to offer my apologies to all those who were injured. I am sorry,” he said during a press conference at the Royal Thai Police headquarters on Tuesday (June 20).

Asked if he intended to carry out more attacks if there

was another coup, he said, “I believe after this bombing, the military will talk more to the people.” He added that during his detention, the officers did not violate his rights.

The police on Tuesday took Watana for crime reenactments at three locations

instead of seven as originally planned.

The three sites were Watana’s residence on Ram Intra Rd, outside Major Cineplex Ratchayothin where there was a blast on April 9, 2007 and Phramongkutklao Hospital, the scene of the latest attack

Justice of fi cials search the house of Johannes Petrus Maria van Laarhoven in Chonburi in 2014. Photo: Tawatchai Kemgumnerd

on May 22.

The national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said Watana confessed to having acted alone. “But it is difficult to prevent a lone wolf. We have to review our prevention plans again,” he said.

During the press conference, the police showed a sequence of footage from the hospital’s security camera and the route that Watana took before setting off the bomb.

According to police, Watana parked his vehicle at the Egat office in Bang Kruai, Nonthaburi. He changed his clothes and got on a bus with suspicious-looking items to Phramongkutklao Hospital and then returned.

Gen Chakthip said the police have requested a warrant from the court to arrest him on five charges including being behind the attacks at Phramongkutklao Hospital, the National Theatre on May 15, outside the old Government Lottery Office on April 5 and outside Major Cineplex Ratchayothin in 2007, and for attempted premeditated murder and illegal possession

of explosive materials.

Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday were set to seek another court warrant for two other attacks at Soi Rajavithi 24 on May 5, 2007 and in front of the Royal Thai Army Headquarters on Sept 30, 2007.

Gen Chakthip said the police looked into whether Watana had any accomplices and if he had any intention to take people’s lives.

“From our experience, the chances of catching bombers are slim, sometimes impossible. When the attacks in 2007 took place we were not able to obtain as much evidence as we can today. And we did it,” he said.

He added, “Some have asked whether the government carried out the bombing.

Today, the answer is clear [the government did not],” he said.

Maj Gen Chayapol Chatchaidech, chief of the Special Branch’s Division 4, said Watana did not confess when he was first interrogated, but only during the second interrogation after police found bomb components in his house.

Dutchman’s 20-yr prison term upheld BANGKOK THE APPEAL COURT ON Tuesday (June 20) upheld a Dutchman’s 20-year jail term and his Thai wife’s 7-year sentence for laundering money earned supplying marijuana to customers in the Netherlands.

Johannes Petrus Maria van Laarhoven, 57, was found guilty of laundering earnings from his gang’s smuggling of marijuana to the Netherlands from July 2008 to June 2014.

He ran coffee shops in the Netherlands, where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption in such places is tolerated by local authorities.

His wife Mingkwan Kaenin, or Mingkwan van Laarhoven, 35, was found guilty of supporting money laundering.

They transferred 500,000 euros related to the marijuana business from Cyprus-registered Deefety Holdings Ltd to one bank account owed

by Laarhoven in Pattaya and several million euros from Deutsche Bank of Germany to another account in Pattaya.

Bangkok Post thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

ASIA NEWS

9

Driven to distraction Pyongyang’s ‘traffic ladies’, an emblematic image of the capital NORTH KOREA Sebastien Berger

S

napping their heads f rom side to side, marching into the roads in close-fitting blue uniforms and black heels, the “traffic ladies” who marshal vehicles at the intersections of Pyongyang are an emblematic image of the North Korean capital.

Officially known as traffic security officers but universally referred to as traffic ladies, they are chosen for their looks in a society that remains traditionalist in many respects.

They must leave the role if they marry, and have a finite shelf-life, with compulsory retirement looming at just 26.

The 300-odd ladies are unique to Pyongyang, which North Korean authorities are always keen to present in the best possible light despite their nuclear-armed country’s impoverished status, and ensure a steady supply of photogenic young women who are the favourite subject of visiting

This photo, taken on June 5, shows a traffic security officer standing on duty at an intersection in Pyongyang. Photo: Ed Jones/AFP tourists and journalists.

“They are representing the capital city,” explained a senior officer of the ministry of public security, which supervises traffic regulation.

“That’s why they are selected based on their appearance and physique.”

No age limit applies to their roughly 400 male counterparts – who tend to be stationed at roundabouts.

The rules were because “normally, the women in our country marry at the age of

26 or 27”, explained the officer, who did not want to be named. “Because the role is tough and difficult, they can only do the job when they are single.”

The traffic ladies were originally introduced in the 1980s, when vehicles were a rarity on the streets of Pyongyang and remained so for decades, giving rise to the surreal sight of them directing – with precision and energy – non-existent cars on wide but deserted boulevards.

Food firms showcase the latest in tasty technology JAPAN F RO M E D I B L E I N K printers to chicken stick conveyor belts, Japan’s food firms put it all on the menu at an industry show this week with one bold exhibitor claiming it could turn anyone into a top sushi chef.

Newmind’s colour printers can graft almost any image – a country flag, Hello Kitty face or message to a loved one – onto cookies and other food just like a conventional printer.

Best of all, you can eat the ink.

Over at Kojima Giken’s booth, a machine plunged wooden skewers into diced chicken and leek bits as they passed along a conveyor belt.

The result is a wildly popular grilled snack called yakitori, usually accompanied by copious amounts of beer.

The company says its machines can churn out anywhere from 300 to 20,000 @thephuketnews

Cookie cutter: Anything from flags to adorable characters can be printed on baked goods, using edible ink. Photo: Toru Yamanaka/AFP yakitori sticks an hour depending on the size of the machine.

“And we can skewer pretty much anything,” said founder Minoru Kojima.

“Just last year, we designed a big machine to make fruit and vegetables on sticks – the kind of things you eat at parties. We sold them in France.”

There were nearly 800 exhibitors at the International Food Machinery and Technology Exhibition in Tokyo, which wraps up today (June 23).

Suzumo Machinery has a device that combines rice, spicy green wasabi paste and fresh fish before wrapping the sushi in a clear plastic wrap stamped with an expiration date – at a rate as quick as 2,000 pieces an hour.

“Making sushi is a difficult thing and require skills that take about from three to five years to acquire,” said Suzumo’s Ryosuke Murai.

“With this machine, you can become a sushi chef in a day.”

AFP

As part of North Korea’s security forces they hold officer ranks, and Snr Cpt Ri Myong-Sim, 24, said: “I have to carry out each and every action with discipline and spirit.”

A seven-year veteran, she cuts an imposing presence in her high-peaked cap and white gloves.

Her “tough training” had involved “exhausting repetition” of the moves, she said.

“But every time I felt that, the thing that kept me going

and drove me was the thought that our leader, who cares for only the happiness of our people all year long, was watching us work,” she said, standing ramrod-straight at the Changjon crossroads in central Pyongyang.

“So I could pract ice throughout the night and keep going on the next day without feeling tired at all.”

Vehicle numbers have increased in the capital in recent years as authorities quietly liberalise the economy, leading to growth despite United Nations sanctions imposed over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, although the North keeps most statistics secret and precise figures are not available.

Traffic lights have been introduced at most intersections, but the ladies – who say they work an hour on, an hour off, although their feet can still get sore – have no fear of their blue uniforms being replaced by red, amber and green.

The lights “help the humans do their jobs more eas-

ily”, said Ri. The traff ic ladies are “second to none” as a photo subject for tourists visiting Pyongyang, said Simon Cockerell, general manager of specialist travel agency Koryo Tours, who has been leading trips to North Korea for more than 15 years.

“They appear to have the dual function of directing traffic and brightening up the streets of the capital,” he said.

“I don’t believe there has been a tourist who has visited Pyongyang and not taken a photo of a traffic lady.

“I think it would be no exaggeration to call them iconic,” he added – although they were “somewhat objectified” by visitors.

With retirement ahead Snr Cpt Ri is taking a training course to become a teacher.

But she let the facade of discipline slip when asked if the focus was annoying.

“We are so concentrated on doing our jobs we rarely notice the attention,” she giggled.

AFP

10 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Donkeys at dawn in Kasbah Animal power required to keep Unesco World Heritage Site clean ALGERIA Amal Belalloufi

I

t’s a r ubbish job, but someone has to do it.

Or some animal: in the alleyways of Algiers’ famed Kasbah, donkeys shift tons of trash every day.

Some streets in the Kasbah are so narrow that single file is necessary. Others are wider but are steep and stepped, ruling out more usual rubbish collection methods.

Hence the resort to animal power to keep this World Heritage Site clean.

Unesco calls the Algerian capital’s Kasbah “an outstanding example of a historic Maghreb city”, and says it greatly inf luenced town-planning in the western Mediterranean and subSaharan Africa.

But without its donkeys loaded with huge panniers and accompanied by their green-uniformed handlers, the Kasbah would sink under the weight of its own refuse.

At dawn, the dozen garbage collectors of the Kasbah

A garbage collector leads donkeys in the old part of Algiers, known as the “Kasbah”, as they collect the rubbish in the alleyways of this medina built during the 10th century under Zirid rule. Photo: Ryad Kramdi/AFP “saddle up” their charges with “chouaris”, home-made baskets made of rushes, and climb the long stairs to Bab J’did, one of the gates of the old city.

There the teams split up and go their separate routes.

The donkeys k now their rounds by heart.

Man and beast negotiate the vertiginous streets of this medina built during the 10th century under Zirid rule, a dynasty of Berber origin that reigned over most of the Maghreb.

Sprawling over some 105 hectares, the Kasbah is a mass muddle of buildings constructed on a steep uneven slope 118 metres in height.

The collectors gather the rubbish in bags or by hand, and once a “chouari” is full, the donkey goes all the way back to the top where its load is transferred to trucks.

Each donkey’s load weighs up to 50 kilograms, and more than two tons of trash are collected every day.

Come rain, shine or searing summer heat, the Kasbah

Horse Unit as it is officially known works a seven-day week.

This method of garbage gathering dates back to the arrival in Algiers of the Ottomans in the 16th century.

Despite constant collections, the waste quickly piles up again.

“We’re doing about 10 rounds” a day, sighed weatherbeaten 57-year-old Amer Moussa who said he was looking forward to retirement.

If the task wasn’t difficult enough already, Moussa said

he was tired of rubbish being thrown anywhere, and rubble or old furniture being chucked away with household waste.

Abdellah Khenfoussi is an official from Netcom, which handles garbage collection in the city. He grew up in the Kasbah and still lives there, and fondly remembers a time when residents would wash down the paved streets every morning.

Fatma, wearing the long white “haik” dress of Algerian women, rails against the sordid conditions into which the area has sunk.

“It used to be well-kept,” the 74-year-old said of the Kasbah, which in 1957 was the heart of the Battle of Algiers during the 1954-1962 war of independence against France.

“Everyone knew everyone else and we all helped clean up. But now most of the original residents have left, and new arrivals have no idea of the Kasbah’s (historic) value,” Fatma said.

After climbing and descending for seven or eight hours, which is exhausting

for both collector and donkey, the dawn patrol returns to the stables.

The late shift then takes over. Throughout the day, donkeys and green boilersuited collectors are a regular sight in the historic district.

There are 52 donkeys in the Kasbah Horse Unit, acquired in the same manner as official vehicles – by public tender, said Netcom communications head Nassima Yakoubi.

Each animal must be in good physical shape, be upwards of 1.5 metres in height and weigh more than 100kg.

They join the unit aged between four and eight, and have a working life of around 20 years.

You might expect that the animals then enjoy a wellearned retirement, maybe at the zoo.

That is indeed their destination, but not as residents: to the anguish of their former companions the rubbish collectors, the worn out donkeys of the Algiers Kasbah become lunch for lions.

AFP

Daredevil woman hangs by teeth over Niagara Falls CANADA AMERICAN DAREDEVIL Erendira Wallenda dangled from her teeth from under a helicopter in a series of eyewatering acrobatic moves over the teeming waters of Niagara Falls last week.

US media said her stunt set a Guinness World Record for height, breaking a record established by her husband Nik when hanging from his teeth 76 metres above Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

Dressed in a black body suit, the mother-of-three sat and dangled from a large hoop tethered to the bottom of the helicopter, at one point hooking her feet over the hoop and hanging upside down with her arms stretched toward the water.

Wallenda hung above the falls for around seven or eight minutes.

She did splits hanging off the hoop backwards, before biting into an iron jaw and briefly dangling by her teeth about 300 feet in the air.

Wallenda comes from a family of stunt artists and

US media said the Niagara Falls stunt by Erendira Wallenda set a world record for height – established by her husband Nik. Photo: Geoff Robins/AFP world record chasers.

Last Thursday’s (June 15) stunt marked the fifth anniversary of her husband’s walk on a tightrope over Niagara Falls, which straddle the border between Canada and the United States.

Speaking to reporters, Wallenda described the experience as “amazing” and “beautiful”, and said she had hung twice from her teeth, listening to music throughout so as to block out any sound

from spectators below.

Her stunt adds to the lore and legend of the renowned Wallenda family, famous for astonishing audiences around the world with their jaw-dropping stunts executed from dizzying heights.

In June 2013, Nik Wallenda became the first man to cross the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, completing that record-breaking feat in under 23 minutes.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

BUSINESS NEWS 11

Terror and tourism Travel leaders recognising role in security TOURISM Andrew J Wood editor@classactmedia.co.th

W

hen Yasser Arafat said in 1999, “I formally and absolutely renounce all forms of tourism” (sic), we may assume that Arafat meant “terrorism” rather than “tourism” – yet that may have been an omen, as certainly the two cannot co-exist comfortably and one certainly damages the other.

Even before the Finsbury Park mosque attack in London last Friday (June 19), UK PM Theresa May said, “There is far too much tolerance of extremism in our society, we cannot and must not pretend that things can continue to carry on as they are...” She added, “Enough is enough.”

Of course, despite the number of, and the severity of, attacks this year, the UK is not alone as a target. In Europe in March 2016, three coordinated suicide bombings in Belgium left 32 dead and 340 injured. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel described it as a “black day” for Belgium.

And in Paris in November 2015 simultaneous attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers at multiple venues; a concert hall, a major stadium, a restaurant and in bars and cafés – the shootings and bombings left 130 people dead and with more than 100 in a critical condition and hundreds more wounded. The attacks were described by then-President Francois Hollande as an “act of war”.

It was 9/11 way back in 2001 when 2,977 people were killed in NYC. But today, even after millions of manhours and vast amounts of money spent fighting terrorism, the threats remain and attacks increase.

A view of the extension for the Blue Line skytrain in Bangkok, which is under construction. Photo: Bangkok Post

Apisak assuages windfall tax fears PROPERTY

Security has been ramped up at key tourist sites in the UK following the spate of terror attacks this year. Photo: AFP Theresa May is correct: enough is enough. It’s time to stamp out extremism, and tolerance has to be paired with common sense. If we allow isolation within our communities then the end results could lead to breeding dangerous ideological fanaticism. Which without any checks and balances can lead to terrorism, an unwelcome by-product.

The global travel and tourism industry has been plainly affected by all these attacks. In each city where these attacks have taken place, tourism declines. Thankfully, for a limited time only. Indignation rises, as does nationalist sentiment, but what happens next? Tourism leaders must continue to work with all sectors to bring about change.

And world leaders agree that change has to happen.

In the fight to transform our world, to make it a more peaceful and safer place to live, there are no better ambassadors for change than the travel and tourism industry.

In Bangkok “Transforming our World” was the theme of WTTC’s Global Summit last month. The Summit set out to find out what it will take for Travel & Tourism to actively engage in and maximise its contribution to this theme.

UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, reminded delegates of the words of new UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, “The world can and must harness the power of tourism”, and added that “the right to travel, right to enjoy the world, to do business, to cross borders… has now become a human right”.

One clear message emerging from these discussions in Bangkok were that for transformation to occur, travel and tourism leaders need to stand up and be counted, and should take personal responsibility for making the world a better place. I would also add a safer and more peaceful place.

Expectations of the sector are high, and these words were reinforced by both the Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut

Baan Rim Pa Phuket’s sole winner RESTAURANTS PHUKET’S BAAN RIM PA group of restaurants, located north of Patong, have won the accolade of “Thailand Best Restaurant” in the People’s Choice Awards conducted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Chalermpol NaNakorn, Managing Director/Owner of the Baan Rim Pa group of restaurants, attended the gala award ceremony in Bangkok @thephuketnews

Baan Rim Pa Group Managing Director/Owner C halermp ol NaNakorn received the award in person. on June 12 to receive the award.

Baan Rim Pa was the only Phuket operation to win any of the awards.

“The management and team

are absolutely thrilled to once again have won this prestigious award,” Sue Ultmann, the group’s Executive Manager & Marketing Director, told The Phuket News.

“Anyone in the restaurant business knows how tough it is. You watch them come and go every day. Extremely hard work and a great team in all areas is what makes you successful. We continue to strive to be and continue to be the best,” she added.

The Phuket News

Chan-o-cha and former UK PM David Cameron.

Terrorism was also a topic at the recent 17th SCO Summit in Astana. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an Eurasian political, economic and security organisation; their eight member states include China, Russia, India and Pakistan. Together they cover a space of about 23% of the globe, comprising of 45% of the world’s population and earn 25% of the world’s GDP. The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko; President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev; Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi; and Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif indicated that the most critical issue being faced by humanity is terrorism, and SCO members must work together to defeat it.

Participants of the SCO Summit also indicated that illegal migration leads to global terrorism, and the recent wave of terrorism in Europe is linked with illegal migration and instability in the Middle East.

ENFORCEMENT OF THE land windfall tax will not be a burden on homeowners but it could marginally hurt property developers’ bottom line, Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong said this week, whilst scoffing at developers’ claims that the tax would hit homeowners.

“Saying that the land windfall tax will take a toll on consumers is just an excuse, as property developers’ net profits will take a hit, but they’ve made large profits [from buying land ahead of construction for government infrastructure projects], so the government should charge some levies. So I’m not listening to developers’ requests,” he said.

Mr Apisak said that property developers always purchase land before transport infrastructure development kicks off, allowing them to reap the rewards from rising land prices.

“When land prices rise, they never give discounts to homebuyers,” he said.

The land windfall tax is undergoing a public hearing, which will be completed on June 28.

Mr Apisak earlier said he wanted a draft bill on the tax to be completed this year.

The Finance Ministry plans to impose the tax at

5% of the inflated value of property between pre-contract signing for infrastructure projects and the date when the contract is signed.

The tax would only be paid upon ownership transfer.

It is a common practice in several countries including the UK, Japan, and Australia that proceeds from the land windfall tax be used to fund new infrastructure projects and Thailand will adopt the same practice, Mr Apisak said.

According to a Fiscal Policy Office study prepared for the public hearing, the land windfall tax will be levied on ownership transfers when transport infrastructure projects are under development.

After those transport projects begin operations, those owning land for residential and agricultural purposes will not be liable to pay the tax, while those who have land for commercial use and whose land value is higher than B50 million will be subject to the levy upon ownership transfer.

Only property developers with a project valued at more than B50mn will be taxed if the land is transferred after the infrastructure-related service is launched.

Owners of land located near infrastructure projects that were launched before the law governing the land windfall tax takes effect will be exempt from the levy.

Bangkok Post

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

A SUPPER WITH SUE

Family-friendly resort offers luxury on a budget

14

Young Phuket girl shines on The Voice Kids

17

Sue is inseparable from her dogs.

The marketing guru that’s taken Baan Rim Pa Group to the top

Baz Daniel

S

usanne Ultmann is the Executive Manager and Marketing Director of one of Phuket’s most famous and successful restaurant companies – the Baan Rim Pa Group. I first met Sue when I arrived on the island to become Editor of Phuket Magazine in 2005. Her reputation as a hard headed marketing/communications expert, who tended to devour members of Phuket’s media scene for breakfast, had proceeded her and so I first met her with some trepidation.

In fact I was immediately drawn to her no-nonsense Aussie charm and wry wit and we subsequently became friends who’ve enjoyed meals together in far fling corners on the Earth, such as Dublin and Sydney, prior to the delightful supper we shared at the recently-opened second Baan Rim Pa restaurant in Kalim.

Sue has lived and worked in Asia for more than 25 years and is a seventh generation Australian who was born in Melbourne. Her family originated in Northern Ireland, but, much to her disappointment, she can find no convicts skulking up her family tree! Sue lives with the most important companions in her life, her husband of 25 years, Tom, plus their two beloved dogs.

Sue is proud of the fact that she left school at 16 and achieved most of her learning at the “school of hard knocks” which, I think, shows in

for Sue at the TAT This year makes it two in a row

@thephuketnews

her direct, down-to-earth, approach to both business and life. In the rough and tumble milieu of Aussie business of the late 1960s Sue soon determined that she wanted to be in sales, a role for which females were largely dismissed as being unqualified and unsuitable. Sue, however, fought her way through the prejudice and by sheer willpower and hard work got herself taken seriously and spent 18 years as Associate Publisher of Australia’s leading travel industry publication TravelWeek magazine.

In this role she visited many corners of the globe, promoting, writing and handling the advertising and marketing for the magazine. In her late 20s she was sent around the South Pacific and Asia to sell advertising in this totally male-dominated business. In 1992 she and her husband moved to Koh Samui where Sue set up a freelance media marketing company and continued working for many international publications such as Der Speigle, Travel & Leisure magazine, Conde Nast Group, as well as helping launch the well-known Bangkok magazine The Big Chilli.

Sue and Tom decided to retire to Phuket in 1998 and play golf, but they both got bored and Tom took on other hotel contracts and Sue kept freelancing. In 2001 the late owner of Baan Rim Pa (BRP) Group, Tom McNamara, asked Sue to join his company in a temporary position.

She joined, supposedly for just three months to sort out the advertising and marketing for the

China awards.

three restaurants; Baan Rim Pa Patong, Otowa (now Joe’s Downstairs) and Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante.

There are now four restaurants with the addition in 2015 of Baan Rim Pa Kalim in which we enjoyed a charming Royal Thai cuisine supper together for this article. Sixteen years on, Sue is still with the group, and in her typically Australian selfdeprecating way she jokes, “I must not be very good at my job, as I am still here sorting things out”.

Making BRP Group’s name known worldwide is Sue’s goal, and the restaurants continue to win award after award. As if to prove this point, Baan Rim Pa was recently named the Top Restaurant in Thailand as voted by TAT China – for the second year running.

There is also another side to Sue. She is in great health which she puts down to regular exercise.

She trains three times a week with personal trainer Darren Scherbain of Old Dawg Coaching, runs stairs and does hill sprints with a group which are generally a couple of decades younger in age. She has also competed in the Laguna quarter marathon several Sue is a longtime supporter of Phuket Has Been Good To Us. times and won her age

group in the “2015 Heartbreak Hill” event at Nai Thon Beach.

When asked if she plans to retire, she laughs and says, “What would I do with my time? I’ve always loved working and I have worked hard. I guess I will keep working at Baan Rim Pa Group while they still need me. Phuket is home and we have no plans to move, so combining work, keeping fit and enjoying life in a place like this, is not too bad”.

So, where does she think Phuket is heading? Sue, is quite sanguine about the many changes that have overtaken both Phuket and the Baan Rim Pa Group during her fascinating tenure.

“There is no doubt that things are very different from when I first took up this job and our clientele has evolved and changed. But I see things as different, rather than specifically better or worse.

“Going with the flow and adapting to the changes which overtake a tourist-driven economy is part of the art of survival and I think we are doing that pretty well at BRP Group.

“Our accolades from the TAT in China is a good example of this ability to evolve that has kept BRP Group at the forefront of Phuket’s fine dining scene,” she adds.

It’s an admirable philosophy for a true survivor, for an outstanding restaurant business and for our fastchanging island itself.

14 EXPLORE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

An awesome weekend awaits

Kamala Beach Estate is perfect for a secluded family getaway The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

The Deck serves meals throughout the day and also provides room service and poolside service for the ultimate in relaxed dining.

A private beach is close by.

P

erched on a small headland at the southernmost tip of Kamala Beach lies a boutique hotel called Kamala Beach Estate. It’s ideal location offers a quiet and peaceful stay with spectacular views of the sunsets over the Andaman Sea. There are three swimming pools to choose between and even a secluded beach to lounge on.

The Estate comprises a number of apartments and villas, each of which has its own character and style, and is fully equipped to cater for the most discerning guests. One or two bedroom apartments are available, either with direct sea view, or overlooking the lush tropical gardens. The villas have three bedrooms for families, or groups of friends, who would like to stay together. All accommodation includes a kitchen and kitchenware for self-catering and there is a fully stocked supermarket just minutes away. Another godsend for parents is a baby-sitting service that is available on request.

The Estate’s adjoining restaurant The Deck serves meals throughout the day and also provides room service and poolside service for the ultimate in relaxed dining. When it comes to exploring nearby Kamala village, and Kamala Beach, tours can be easily booked and staff are always on hand to offer help and advice with their local knowledge. The Phuket FantaSea show, right on the resort’s doorstep, is a must see for guests staying a few nights.

Looking further afield, private and group tours can be arranged around the island visiting such varied and totally different locations as the ‘updsidedown’ house, Big Buddha overlooking the island, Tiger Kingdom, and much more.

Kamala Beach Estate’s motto is “the guests come

Longtail boats anchored at Kamala beach can be seen from The Deck Restaurant.

All rooms have a fully equipped kitchen. first”, and staff do their very best to ensure that guests feel that they have arrived at their ‘home away from home’.

As a special low season offer, Kamala Beach Estate is offering an Awesome Weekend deal of 50% discount on their 1 bedroom Andaman Suites on Fridays,

The Estate has three pools to choose from.

Saturdays and Sundays. Normally priced at B7,200 per night, if you book between now and October 31, 2017, the price is just B3,600 per night. Min stay of two night. Booking must be made at least two days before arrival. Includes 15% off food at The Deck and 10% of tours booked at reception.

Indonesian ‘rainbow village’ takes the internet by storm

A

n Indonesian hamlet dubbed “the rainbow village” after being given a makeover in a kaleidoscope of colours is attracting hordes of visitors and has become an internet sensation. The collection of about 200 modest homes on a hillside above a river used to be a typical, low-income Indonesian neighbourhood that was filthy and gloomy.

But residents of the Wonosari community in Semarang decided an extreme makeover was needed, and received money from the local government and several companies to carry out the project. The houses were repainted in a dizzying array of colours during a month-long overhaul which cost about $200,000 (B6.79 million), and the polluted river nearby was also cleaned up.

The local mayor opened the newly decorated hamlet on Java island to the public in mid-April and the community quickly became a local landmark known as “the rainbow village”.

The buildings – many of which are decorated with art such as pictures of angels’ wings and whales – can be seen for miles around, climbing up the hillside like a gigantic staircase.

Domestic and foreign visitors have been flocking to the village to snap pictures, which have been rapidly spreading on Instagram and Facebook.

A kaleidoscopic view of Wonosari village.

“This is very special, extremely creative,” Maya Susanti, an Indonesian visitor who came to the village with her friends said.

Community leader Yosep Tri Prawoko added: “Every single alleyway has become a favourite spot for a photoshoot, it’s great.”

Villagers are enjoying the tourism boom sparked by the makeover.

Surani, a local f lower seller who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said local people were feeling the benefits: “I hope our livelihoods keep on getting better.”

The makeover and f low of visitors has also encouraged residents to keep the community clean, and rubbish bins have been put up around the hamlet.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CULTURE 15

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Being mindful of what you use, and doing things such as replanting trees you cut down, helps your karma.

The ancient Royal Plough Ceremony is performed to make merit in the hope of a bountiful harvest.

Karma comes around again ALL ABOUT BUDDHISM

Jason A. Jellison mitnoy@live.com

I

n last month’s All About Buddhism column, we shared a cheerful ghost story that shone a spotlight on how much stress we can create for ourselves when we overlook a simple solution that could have solved the entire problem. We then spoke about karma, which as you probably know, is the Buddhist belief that the sum total of the good and bad you’ve done in this world follows you throughout this life, and the next, through the process of reincarnation.

Many beautiful things come from the Thai perspective on karma, like Thai spirit houses – the little ornate houses found outside of each building that are there to ward off bad spirits and bad karma.

As we mentioned in the previous column, Thai people often can be found performing rituals in front of spirit houses. Thai Buddhists also “make merit” by offering food and gifts to monks in the morning. Making merit means to provide a virtuous gift onto the community and accrue good karma as a side-effect. Buddha himself said that a gift given from a person who is pure of heart, to a pious recipient who is also pure of heart, is the greatest of all human gifts. The good will it generates will come back to us many times over.

The Thai notion of karma tends to lean towards generating good karma by observing ancient rituals that are considered virtuous and holy. We still celebrate the Royal Plough Ceremony near the Grand Palace every year in Bangkok in the hopes of a good harvest.

Most Thai people would rarely fail to observe a major Buddhist holiday, even if they don’t practice all that much Buddhism in their daily lives.

My articles have frequently referred to the “Five Precepts” of Buddhism, which are similar to the Christian “Ten Commandments”. They are easy to say, but not so easy to observe – a reality which Thai Buddhists know well. This has caused an important cultural shift in Thailand, as places like Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and so many others provinces become littered with shopping malls, consumerist extravaganzas and pubs, many people have begun to focus less on observing the precepts of @thephuketnews

Buddhism and shifted towards trying to generate good karma through ritual, or perhaps by making merit by giving gifts to monks.

Thailand also lost many of its enlightened monks as the West discovered Buddhism. Believe it or not, you can find a lot of Thai monks in Australia or Los Angeles, as there is a strong demand for their knowledge and wisdom.

Meaning that in turn, some Thai people have lost access to gifted teachers of Buddhism. Having lost them, some turn to astrologers and fortune tellers, hoping to catch a glimpse of their future.

Meanwhile, in the West, we are largely in the dark about the intricacies of karma. A long time ago, Buddha gave a sermon about karma which explains it very well. I’ve modernised it a bit so it is more understandable, but it goes something like this: Once upon a time, there was a man in ancient India who had four wives.

His ancient Indian name was long and funny, so we’re just going to call him ‘Raj’. Raj was very rich and was growing old. He knew that he would soon die and did not know what to do about it.

Terrified of death, he called upon his fourth wife. His fourth wife was very beautiful and young. Most men would work very hard to have a wife just like this. You might say that she was a trophy wife.

Raj said to her, “I’ve always been good to you. I treated you better than any wife. I took meticulous care of you.

I’m afraid of death. Sweetheart, would you follow me into death?” Stunned, she said “Are you crazy? No, I won’t follow you into death! But, I will say wonderful things about you at your funeral.”

Devastated, Raj threw her out of the house.

Then Raj called in his third wife.

She was a lot older than the fourth but was very attractive. Men in fact still swooned over her. Raj told her what his fourth wife had said and, of course, asked the same question. Surprised, his third wife said, “No, my love, I cannot follow you into death. But, I will pay for the most beautiful funeral ever seen and, once you are dead, I will give myself to your oldest son, Rich.” Shocked and enraged, Raj threw her out.

Still not dissuaded, Raj now called upon his second wife. She was not all that attractive and was rather old. But, she was the most doting wife of all of the four. Raj told her what his other wives said and asked the same question. This wife looked sad. She cried.

She said that she loved him more than all the world, but, she could not follow him into death. Raj was disappointed and politely asked her to leave.

Finally, Raj called upon his first wife. Raj’s first wife was anything but beautiful. She was just as old as he. She was haggard, unattractive, and men paid no attention to her. Raj told her the truth about what happened with his other three wives. Desperate and dejected, Raj wearily asked the same question. Would she follow him into death?

His first wife answered without skipping a beat and said, “We have had a special bond since the day you arrived in this world. I’ve always loved you, and that’s why I was so strict with you. This is why people call me Mrs Karma and I’m coming with you into death.”

You see, Raj’s fourth wife was his reputation. It can do great things for you on earth, but nothing when you die.

His third wife was money. It attracts men like insects to a shiny light, but it leaves you alone upon death and goes to your eldest son. Raj’s second wife was family. They love you and make a lot possible while you’re alive, but they cannot follow you into death. Only Raj’s first wife – karma – could follow him to the afterlife.

This clever and enlightening sermon still has a very powerful message to teach us: We all go into death alone.

Only our good and bad deeds will follow us. So, how can you build good karma?

Fortunately, the answer is that you do not need to be Buddhist to build good karma. Buddhism welcomes people of all faiths.

The five precepts of Buhhdism.

A simple way of building better karma is to become mindful of what you take from the world and compare it to what you give. If you build a new house and clear 2.5 rai of trees, replant the same amount, because those trees provide oxygen. If you learn that a company is buying meat from suppliers who are cruel to animals, buy it somewhere else. If you are depressed and don’t know what to do about it, go to the fish market, buy some live fish that would be cooked, and release them into our overfished oceans. Stop killing mosquitoes.

If you change your heart, you change your whole life... and your next life.

All About Buddhism is a monthly column in The Phuket News where I take readers on my exotic journey into Thai Buddhism and debunk a number of myths about Buddhism. If you have any specific queries, or ideas for articles, please let us know. Email editor1@classactmedia.co.th, and we will do our best to accommodate your interests.

16 EXPAT LIFE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Misspelled signs like this are all too common in Thailand.

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Even Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s weekly address often contains anomalies of expression.

Thai tongues meet English terms

T

Patrick Campbell

he relationship between the Thai language and English is fascinating and at times utterly bizarre. Every Anglophone visitor to Phuket will have chuckled at public translations and transliterations into English so wide of the mark one wonders whom is responsible for the howlers.

Why is this? A number of factors can be blamed. At root is poor language provision in schools and linguistic instruction that is predominantly rote-based.

A Thai teacher might typically begin the lesson with: “Good morning, class.

How are you today? It is time for our English lesson.” The pupils dutifully reply: “Good morning, teacher. How are you?” The rest of the “English” lesson is mostly conducted in Thai.

There is another educational anomaly – most English teachers in Phuket’s schools get the job because they speak the lingo. But sadly, they rarely have any prior teaching experience and often only the most rudimentary knowledge of Thai. Teachers need to be taught how to teach – they are not born but made – it’s little wonder then that so few Thai school-leavers possess more than the most basic English vocabulary. And yet, paradoxically, Thailand spends almost twice the amount from its national budget (20.7%) on education than Asian countries such as Cambodia and Mongolia.

It is not just the system. Ingrained attitudes don’t help. A couple of facts: Thailand ranks 56th in terms of English competence out of 72 nations – the fifth worst in Asia, above only Mongolia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Cambodia – according to the English First (EF) Eng-

This menu seems more like a Japanese Haiku poem.

Many English teachers in Thailand are native English speakers, but often lack teacher experience and training. lish Proficiency Index 2016. That is despite Thailand, and especially Phuket, having one of the most flourishing tourist industries in the world – 28 million or so visitors per year.

There ought to be some carry-over.

And indeed there is. But perhaps not where you expect it – from school and university graduates. Instead it falls to your average “go-go” girl to garner enough working knowledge of English to run rings round your “farang” bar-fly.

There is no substitute for the acid bath of experience, for hands-on learning.

Thais are, in any case, a pretty insular lot. The fact that Thailand has never been subjugated by a colonial power has meant its people have retained a powerful and sometimes inhibiting sense of independence. They have never had – as say, Filipinos have – an alien but more dominant language, first Spanish and then American English, imposed on their own. Similarly, more than a century of British rule over India and Myanmar means that most educated natives of those countries have a working knowledge of English.

Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram may have attempted to foist Western dress codes on Thais after World War II, but he seems to have done little to promote the use of the English language. Of course, it doesn’t help that the Thai alphabet, derived from Old Khmer script, is totally different from Indo-European languages – with its 44 consonants and 15 vowels – or that it is essentially a tonal affair (like many of its neighbours) whose subtleties are difficult for Westerners to grasp – or for Thais to shake off themselves when learning a new language.

Whatever the reason, the English

version of almost any Thai document you encounter – from the humblest menu to the most elaborate five-star resort brochure – even Gen Prayut’s subtitled, Friday address to the nation – often contains anomalies of expression.

In part, and especially with menus, this is because the transliterated versions of a few key Thai words sound funny, even rude in English. Thus the Thai word for “crab” is phoneticised as “poo”, so the prospect of “poo” on your dinner plate, and especially “cow pat poo” (crab fried rice), appears distinctly uninviting. One eatery, apparently unaware of the irony, announced itself as “Pee and Poo: Food and Drink”. Today, some high end restaurants are circumventing this knotty problem by substituting “puu”.

Girl’s names, especially fashionably shortened forms, likewise can carry unfortunate associations for Anglophones.

“Porn”, though it might have a certain ironic appropriateness where bar girls are concerned, is a very common moniker, and there are more than a few “Supaporns” out there. So too “Sin”, meaning money. “Anurak” means “angel” in Thai – but is a word for an unglamorous item of clothing in English. “Pee” (with a distinctive rising tone), a mildly indelicate word to our ears, is a much used epithet in Thai for “ghost”.

All of these are pretty much unavoidable. Others are simply the result of sloppy thinking, of a deep-seated desire to muddle by without any concern for exactitude. Take Thai translations on Facebook or English explanations at public amenities. It is as though the translator searched each word in the dictionary and chose the first meaning.

A placard in a Chiang Rai tea planta-

tion read: “Prohibit pluck the top feels numb”. The original Thai injunction should have been decoded as “Don’t pick the tea leaf tops!” For the record, the Thai word for “tea” also means “feel numb”. The translator had not bothered to check.

Nearer to home is a newly installed outdoor gym in Nai Harn for public use.

A laudable initiative. But the English instructions on each piece of apparatus leaves one wondering how it actually works. I even once came across a sign saying “No! Give food monkeys”.

A simple error of punctuation had neatly inverted the sense. Signs are notorious. One warned of an “Accident ahead”. Fine, except that the injunction was a permanent one. Down the road was another, proclaiming “Massage by the Blinds People”. Talk about multitasking.

Some errors are simply the result of different pronunciation habits. To take just one of many examples: Thais make little or no distinction between “l” and “r”. So “farang” (Westerner) becomes “falang”, Henry sounds more like Henley. One handpainted sign, presumably unintentionally, requested a venue where “I can plastice my English”. And most Thai words tend to emphasize the final syllable. I used to say Ka-ta.

Nobody understood. Now I know better.

I say Ka-ta. It’s a bit more complicated than Gershwin’s “You say either and I say eyether…”

Given these amusing examples, it would seem paradoxical to learn that native speakers are decidedly picky about how foreigners express themselves in Thai. Many Thai words have up to five distinctive tones, and thus meanings. So when a “farang” mispronounces a word such as “mai”, making it sound like “new” instead of “silk”, most Thais will be thrown into a state of linguistic confusion. Similarly, a foreigner may declare: “I’m putting on my tiger (suuaaa) instead of “I’m putting on my shirt (sua)”. In such cases, the context of the spoken word[s] is everything: it invariably helps to clarify meaning.

Both Thais and Anglophones please take note.

A note: Thanks to my good friend Sam Wilkinson for a number of helpful suggestions.

Dr Patrick Campbell is an author and a retired professor of English who has resided in Thailand since 2004.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PEOPLE 17

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Phuket voice heard across Thailand Andrew Heinz

Born and raised in Phuket, when Hooto entered school, she never thought singing would become so central to her life.

Hooto hones her skill at a market.

@thephuketnews

Y

ada “Hooto” Sajjakul is one very confident 15-year-old, while many kids her age might shy away from the spotlight, she has taken to national television as a contestant on The Voice Kids and belted out songs in front of millions of people. The Phuket News recently got in touch with Hooto to ask her some questions about her meteoric rise to national attention.

Born and raised in the southern Phuket neighbourhood of Chalong, when Hooto entered school she never thought singing would become so central to her life. It all began when her Anubarn 3 (Pre-elementary 3) teacher noticed her talent for singing and told her that she had great potential. She was five and this compliment stuck with her. After years of constant practice her love for singing grew, and four years later she sent in an audition video for Season 1 of The Voice Kids, but sadly, she was not picked.

For many children this would be a heavy blow to their confidence and would make them give up, but not for Hooto. She wanted to reapply immediately, but due to her educational priorities she delayed doing so until this year. After sending her audition video for the second time she was selected to compete against other young hopefuls from across Thailand.

The Voice Kids is a variation of the popular televised talent competition The Voice, but it features participants under the age of 18 – all hoping to kickstart their singing career. The premise of the show is that the judges, who sit in large red chairs, face towards the audience and away from the contestants.

This reduces the bias that comes with first impressions and forces their judgements to be solely based on the contestant’s voice. The theme of the show changes every week and participants are challenged to sing in various styles and genres of music.

Hooto has nothing but a positive take on the show.

Yada ‘Hooto’ Sajjakul belts out a tune onstage for ‘The Voice Kids’.

When asked what is her favourite week or theme of the show was, she says, “I like every week because I’m doing what I love.”

Of the other contestants on the show, Hooto says, “They’re great, we all have the same hobbies and interests because of singing, therefore it’s easier to get along with each other.”

She says the coaches are very supportive and they preach the idea of friendship and working together like a large family. Consequently, the show has been very welcoming and when asked of bad experiences on the show, Hooto paused before saying, “There’s nothing to say, but there is good in both winning and losing.”

When I asked if she has any parting words for her fan base – to which she humbly says must only be a few people – she replied, “If you love something do it, and don’t wait for that love to fade away because you become brave in the name of love and hence magical things can happen.”

In the final show, that took place a few days after this interview on Sunday June 18, she narrowly missed out on victory, coming in at second place behind 14-year-old Siripong “Nat” Srisa from Udon Thani. But as she herself said, there’s good in both winning and losing. So let’s hope this is just the start of her long career as a performer. Congratulations Hooto!

18 ISLAND SCENE

Thomas and Mathias Sühring with Class Act Media GM Jason Beavan (C).

Acqua restaurant’s Alessandro Frau with Kissa Casteñeda from Singapore Tatler.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Trisara GM Anthony Lark (L) with San Pellegrino's Filippo Cassabgi.

Chef Jimmy Ophorst (R) of Trisara's PRU worked closely with the team from Sühring.

THE SÜHRING BROTHERS PRESENT GERMAN HAUTE CUISINE AT TRISARA Trisara’s PRU Restaurant, together with Fine Dining Lovers, presented a masterclass in the finest German haute cuisine by Thomas and Mathias Sühring on Friday, June 16. The brothers’ Bangkok restaurant Sühring is ranked number 13 in San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2017. Following their masterclass the pair presented their signature German cuisine to diners at Trisara’s PRU restaurant over two nights.

Members of the Phatharaworanee family officially open the new resort.

Members of the Thai-language media were in attendance.

THE SIS KATA HOSTS ITS GALA GRAND OPENING WEEKEND PARTY FOR VIPS The island’s newest luxury resort, The SIS Kata, Phuket hosted its grand opening event on Saturday, June 17. Members of the Phatharaworanee family, who own and manage the hotel, welcomed media and VIP guests to the event.

The team at Ariake with their award.

ARIAKE AT LE MERIDIEN NAMED ONE OF THAILAND TATLER’S BEST Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort on Phuket’s southwest coast recently added yet another achievement to its list of accolades. Ariake, the resort’s popular Japanese restaurant, has been named on Thailand Tatler magazine’s ‘Best Restaurants 2017’ list. The publication noted that Ariake offered an “Excellent Japanese dining experience at the teppanyaki counter with chefs who entertain guests with great interactive skits and serve high quality Japanese beef and seafood delights”.

The lavish opening party was well attended. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Robert, the owner of Divino Tapas, welcomes the PIWC ladies.

The PIWC boasts members from many different countries.

ISLAND SCENE 19

A delicious selection of tapas was enjoyed by everyone in attendance.

This month’s luncheon was very well attended.

PHUKET INTERNATIONAL WOMENS CLUB HOST MONTHLY LUNCHEON AT DIVINO The Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC) recently hosted its monthly luncheon for June at Divino Tapas Restaurant in Cherng Talay. Once again there was an excellent turnout and everyone who attended enjoyed the delicious food created by Divino owners Robert and Odd. For more information about the PIWC please visit: piwc-phuket.com

The Table of Knowledge.

Steven, Jason and Peter.

ALL HANDS WERE ON DECK FOR FRIDAY NIGHT DRINKS AT PEPPERS BAR Peppers Bar in Cherng Talay was a hive of Activity last Friday (June 16) as some of Phuket’s longest term and best known expats gathered for end-of-week drinks.

Chris and Nee.

@thephuketnews

The friendly staff at Peppers.

20 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

23 JUN Kajonkiet International School (KIS) presents ANNIE

Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar The competition at 9pm - Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan Patong. See map at www.expathotel.com

Saturday, June 24 at The Simon Star Cabaret Show Samkong. Doors open 9am. Tickets are 400 THB, including a buffet breakfast. Annie is the classic story of an orphan girl searching for her parents in New York City. Filled with upbeat songs and loveable characters, Annie is a musical to be enjoyed by the whole family. CALL: 089 652 7599 to reserve your tickets. This event is sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

SUN

25 JUN

Western grill treats. Gourmet cuisine, exceptional service, Live Jazz and tranquil surroundings, The Banyan Tree Brunch has something for everyone!

Every Sunday 12.00 - 15.30, Prices start from THB 2,800 net per person. Reservations: Banyan Tree Phuket, fb-phuket@banyantree.com, 076 372 400.

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Live Band on stage from 8 pm to late. www.twochefs. com Karon 076-286-479, Patong 076-344-914.

WED

28 JUN

Bodega Italian Brunch Experience our exquisite ‘Italian Sunday Brunch’, which began on May 7 and runs weekly throughout the season. Choose from a wonderful variety of dishes, including lobster spaghetti, foie gras on saffron risotto, grilled suckling pig, live pizza and pasta stations and much more. Email for reservations at Bodega & Grill: Paneenart.Pengraksa@angsana.com

All you can eat BBQ Ribs night 6PM – 11PM: All you can eat BBQ Ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces.

Reservation recommended. 350 baht P.P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

Mussels night @ Shakers 1.2kg mussels served with french fries, your choice, your style: nature, marnière, provençale, garlic & cream or Thai style. Reservations recommended 295 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach Laguna Phuket Hospitality Challenge 2017 The second annual Laguna Phuket Hospitality Challenge – Charity Golf Tournament will take place at Laguna Golf Phuket. The event sees hospitality professionals from Phuket and surrounding areas come together at the award winning golf course. To register your team, please visit www.lagunagolf.com/phuket or email golf@lagunaphuket.com for more information.

Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News, Live 89.5 and Khao Phuket.

SAT

24 JUN

Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Only B350 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See: otools-phuket.com

Sunday Brunch It’s Sunday, Enjoy the most family friendly brunch of the island !! Wide selection of Thai & international dishes - Foam party for the kids – All sports events covered at Champions and more for the parents!

Only 499 THB !!Served From 12.00 until 15.00 Booking strongly advised. Tel: (0) 76 303 300. Reservations, Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort.

INSPIRED PHUKETIANS - Mr. O.B. Wetzell - Sexy Science Held monthly, and open to the public, this event gives an opportunity for well-lived people to share their life experiences. Inspired by the famous TED Talks, it’s a great way for people to really connect with authentic ideas that will benefit their well-being and happiness in general. All of the speakers are chosen because of their ability to share an idea that connects with and inspires people. Limited to 40 seats only and priced at B350/pax/net including one drink and pass around canapé. Register now by email to sales@skyelakeclub.com. Skye Lake Club, Cherng Talay.

MON

26 JUN

All you can eat BBQ night All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet

Steak Night Delicious special cuts of beef are offered especially for meat lover. Reservations, HYATT REGENCY PHUKET RESORT, fnb.phuhr@hyatt.com, 076 231 234 # 5106.

Beef, Pork & Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes – gravy, mushroom sauce, mint sauce. Reservation recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

6PM – 11PM: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Burgers, Sausages, Prawns & Squids, salad buffet, Choice of potatoes and sauces, bread, buns and garlic bread. Reservation recommended. 395 baht P.P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

TUE

SURF & TURF NIGHT EVERY WEDNESDAY @ TWO CHEFS ALL YOU CAN EAT! GRILLED AUSTRALIAN RIB EYE STEAK, TERIYAKI MARINATED CHICKEN AND GRILLED TIGER PRAWNS WITH BBQ SAUCE, RED WINE SAUCE AND BEARNAISE SAUCE CEASAR SALAD AND HERB SAUTEED POTATOES. ONLY 495 BAHT. Two Chefs Live Band on stage from 8 pm until late. Visit www.twochefs.com Karon – 076-286479, Patong – 076-344-914, Kata Beach – 076-333370, Kata Center – 076-330-065 COME FOR THE FOOD, STAY FOR THE FUN!

THU

29 JUN

Chalong Bay Experience by Marriott Resort Phuket Merlin 1,950 THB net price per person. 3 PM - 5 PM leaving at 2 PM. Including transportation, distillery tour, cocktail class and Thai pantry dinner with Chalong Bay. Reservation at 076 335 300.

27 JUN

RETRO NIGHT

Live Sports at Expat Hotel NRL, AFL, Soccer, Rugby Union. Any live sport, we will show it. Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com

Go Live Sunday Seafood Brunch ‘June Oysters Special’ The Banyan Tree Brunch experience offers a generous selection of live fresh, local and imported seafood with exceptional lobster dishes, Japaneses starters, mouth-watering meats, Asian wok and

TEX MEX TEX MEX BUFFET IN KARON AND PATONG TWO CHEFS! A feast for everyone to join, mouthwatering Fajitas, crunchy Tacos, delicious Mexican Spring Rolls, creamy Guacamole, Jalapeños, Tomato Salsa and sour cream. Salad, Beans, Corn, Cheese and Onion.

Nachos and spicy Ground Pork. + MORE. Two Chefs

THE TWO CHEFS BAND WILL TAKE YOU BACK TO THE 70s & 80s WITH SOME OLD GOODIES AND TAKE REQUESTS! EVERY THURSDAY @ TWO CHEFS KARON – PATONG – KATA CENTER. CHEF’S RETRO SPECIAL: FLAMBEED RIB-EYE STEAK 300g, ONLY 495 BAHT; BANANA FLAMBE, ONLY 95 BAHT. www.twochefs.com Karon 076-286479, Patong 076-344-914, Kata Center 076-330-065 COME FOR THE FOOD | STAY FOR THE FUN!!

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FRI

30 JUN

MANNY PACQUIAO AUTHENTIC GLOVES

en, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, a large selection of Sides, Salads and Desserts. Party and Dance W/ DJ Bobby D, Fireworks Display, Welcome Drink. Adults – 750 THB++ Kids under 12 – 290 THB++. For bookings call 66 (0) 89 728 5304 or email: chef@friendshipbeach. com Chef Charlie, 27/1 Soi Mittrapap , Rawai Phuket, chef@friendshipbeach.com, 66 (0) 89 728 5304.

WED

1 JUL

2017 Rotary Handover Dinner At Skye Lake Club, Laguna. THB 1,250/person featuring live band, games, food and show. Doors open at 6.30pm with complimentary selected drink. Book your ticket now with Andy 085-781-8760 or Bier 081-6913285. Dress code : Rotary/sky colours Sponsored by The Phuket News.

SUN

2 Star Michelin Chef at Banyan Tree Phuket Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2017 Welcome to the best exhibition in Phuket and Andaman coastline for construction tools and materials and architectural design & décor items comprising a wide range of products and technology. This is a great opporturnity to introduce construction materials and decorative items to the Phuket and Andaman area.

Venue: Second floor, Royal Phuket City Hotel. More information please visit www.pic-phuket.com or info@ pic-phuket.com. Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

THU

13 JUL

For a limited time in August, join us for a week of culinary delights with German born Chef Stefan of ECCO Restaurant where diners will experience the Michelin-starred cooking mastery of “Brutally Seductive” and “Dishes of the Gods” cooking. Date: 3-8 August 2017. Seats are limited. Email Food and Beverage at: fb-phuket@banyantree.com or call +66 76 372 400 ext. 5463 for more information.

EVERY DAY

La Gritta’s Discovery Menu Take your taste buds on a culinary tour through some of the finest Italian flavours. Chef Patrizia has created a six-course discovery menu consisting of the appetiser, main course and dessert, priced at 1,590 THB++ per person. The terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. Reservations, lagritta@amari.com 076 292 697.

2 JUL Splash Jungle Water Park is Bigger, Better, and Wetter than Ever! Starting Now! PIWC Meet&Greet Coffee July

Family festival & Pie eating contest Free entry. Summer beach buffet THB 450++. Whole Roasted Chicken and BBQ Ribs * Salad Bar * Ice Cream * Pies. Pie eating contest participation fee THB 250 net.Reservations, XANA Beach Club, 076 358 500.

TUE

THU

3 AUG

12 JUL

Bring your passion to reality for the authentic boxing gloves signed by “Manny Pacquiao” up for silent auction and the winner will be announced on June 30, 2017 on Swissotel Resort Phuket Patong Beach’s Facebook page and all proceeds will be donated to “The Destination Kids Foundation”. For enquiries or about bids please contact: Facebook: www.facebook. com/SwissotelPatong Email: events.phuketpatong@ swissotel.com Call: 076 337 000.

SAT

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

4 JUL

New members are encouraged to join our monthly Meet & Greet Coffee Morning to find out more about our organization. It’s also a great opportunity to chat with a few members in a more casual setting over a cup of coffee. For more info, please contact Joan Watson – imm@loxinfo.co.th or Renate Hirte – hirtefamily@hotmail.com. From 10.30 - 12.00 hrs @Starbucks Central Festival.

THU

Our gates open with new rides: Family Raft Ride, The Whizzard, Aqua Spray Park and new restaurants designed to make certain our guests never want to leave.

And when you get hungry, or need a few minutes to relax, our Island Bar sits in the center of the park, offering a 360 degree view of the rides and the most tantalizing pizza available on the Island. Booking and pay online at www.splashjungle.com to enjoy 15% discount from now to 31 July 2017. Phakwipoo, Splash Jungle Water Park, dosm@splashjungle.com, 076-372111.

20 JUL

7 Nights 7 Themed Dinners at Rim Talay Make each night unique! Enjoy our themed dinners with the cool sea breeze. World of Curries @790 THB++, Thai & International Buffet @790 THB++, Seafood Night @980 THB++, Ribs, Wings & Rings @770 THB++, Butchers Night @market price, Surf & Turf @950 THB++, Thai Seafood Gala @980 THB++. The terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. For reservations, rimtalay@amari. com or 076 340106-14 #8027.

MISCELLANEOUS

Cooking Classes Every Day Independance Day, 4th July Party Friendship Beach Resort Friendship Beach waterfront resort invites you to join us for our annual Independence Day celebration. Featuring: Traditional BBQ. buffet with Grilled Salmon Filet, BBQ. Ribs (award winning), Southern Fried Chick-

@thephuketnews

PIWC Luncheon July The July Lunch will be a “High Tea” styled at Les Diables at Boat Lagoon on the 20th July. Registration starts at 11.30 am followed by Lunch at 12.15 pm.

Please send reservations to info@piwc-phuket.com attn. Maggy Wigman.

“Do an afternoon cooking class with Nan and discover why the Halfway Inn has been rated in the Top 10 Thai restaurants in Patong on TripAdvisor for the last 4 years running. Classes can be booked any time between 2pm till 6pm any day of the week. Google Halfway Inn, Patong’ for more details or call Nan to arrange a very fun and unique Thai culinary experience” Line:+66(0)852533278.Khun Nan, Halfway Inn Patong, halfwayinnpatong@hotmail. co.uk, 0852533278.

Rotary Club of Patong Beach Lunch meeting at Days Inn, Patong - every Friday excepts first week of every month. Start at 12pm.

Dinner out at selected restaurant - every first Tuesday of every month. Start at 7pm. Fun Raiser Quiz Night at Aussie Pub, Kamala - every last Wednesday of every month start at 7.30pm. For more info please visit rotarypatong.org .

22 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. In the Looney Tunes cartoon series, what was the name of Marvin the Martian’s big fluffy friend?

2. In which year did Colonel Harland David Sanders, best known for founding the fast food chicken franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), die?

3. What is the capital of the Isle of Man? 4. Which animal is scientifically called Canis lupus familiaris?

5. The sentence “May I have a large container of coffee?” is used as a memory aid for what? Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Hard

Across 65. Beyond tipsy 1. Numbers pro, briefly 66. Dreamboat of 4. Like some doors myth 8. National Zoo creatures 67. Vase-shaped jug 14. Dada painter Jean 68. Hurricane heading: 15. The Olympic rings, Abbr. e.g.

69. Left behind 16. Kiss a lot unintentionally 17. Toddler’s ritual 70. Criticizes, slangily 18. “___-Team” (Mr. T’s 71. Lilliputian old squad) 19. Pizza slice portion, Down often 1. Unposed photo 20. Ear adornments 2. High acclaim 23. Last word of 3. Shock Gilligan’s theme 4. Deep-voiced song songstress 24. Bambinos 5. Poet Keats 25. A drop in the ocean? 6. Ancient 28. Triangular 7. Cook the standing 32. Outstanding ribs 34. Harmless cartridge 8. False; sham 36. Bird in a crazy simile 9. Ringed by 37. Green around the 10. Nutmeg-flavored lobes drinks 43. In --- of (replacing) 11. Simpson’s 44. Frightfully strange interjection 45. Forget 12. Be in a cast?

48. Pigeon coop 13. Admonition to a 53. Grafton’s ‘-- for cell phone user in Lawless’ a theater 54. Shock 21. Held a conference 56. Saying with a 22. Stein relative mystical meaning 25. Jet-black, 57. Oahu ocean gems poetically 61. Hideout 26. Keep a web journal 64. Person of action 27. Uncle ___ (rice

brand) 29. Legal eagle org.

30. Obama’s state: Abbr.

31. Concerto’s extended solo passage 33. Will Smith title role 35. Born, in Marseilles 37. End of the year, for some 38. Attire that’s not for the modest 39. Ribbon-like fish 40. Street, to Magritte 41. 2014 World Cup final site 42. Amp (up) 46. Samuel Barber movement “for Strings” 47. Least trained 49. Time worth remembering 50. Shore bird 51. One way to shop 52. Guinea pig 55. Down-yielding duck 57. Like some paintings and juries 58. Corn-growing state 59. Nestling’s sound 60. Fails, in a way 61. British bomber grp.

62. Tokyo, once 63. The “F” in FYI

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Gossamer; 2) 1980 (Dec 16); 3) Douglas; 4) Dog; 5) Pi (3.1415926)

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

This week in history June 23, 2016 The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, by 52% to 48%.

2

packs of cigarettes a day is how much the woman who provided the legendary voice for E.T. smoked a day.

4

out of 5 firefighters in the US are overweight or obese, and about half of the firefighters killed in the line of duty suffered heart attacks.

June 24, 1374 A sudden outbreak of St John’s Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.

20

times is how much more likely men are of having a fatal injury at work than women.

June 25, 1950 The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea.

26,600

June 26, 1843 Treaty of Nanking comes into effect, Hong Kong Island is ceded to the British “in perpetuity”.

US dollars a year is the average annual income for runway models.

June 27, 2007 Tony Blair resigns as British Prime Minister, a position he had held since 1997.

4 million

US dollars is how much each square foot of Jackson Pollock’s painting “No. 5, 1948” is worth.

Source: Uberfacts

June 28, 1880 Australian bushranger Ned Kelly is captured at Glenrowan.

Bangla Rd, 1984. Photo by Paddy Plage Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

June 29, 1975 Steve Wozniak tests his first prototype of the Apple I computer.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Jobs

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Jobs

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Trades & Services

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

MOVING SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

STORAGE Reserve Your Storage Space

Call 076 29 29 09

or visit mystorageasia.com

 Sizes to Suit all Budgets  Personal & Business Storage  Motorcycle Storage  Left Luggage Service  We Sell Boxes  Storage Insurance Inclusive

Secure, Clean & Cost Effective Self Storage Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong, Phuket

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ADVERTISE HERE

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Buy&Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE 20M BERTH AT THE R.P.M

Private owner offers 20m, front line, E dock berth for rent or sale at the Royal Phuket Marina. Berth will accommodate yachts of up to 20m L.O.A. and significant discounts are available for a long term agreement. Contact for further information. james@ shayler.co

Sell 1/2/3 engine speed boats

3 engine speedboat: Length 13.5m; Width 3.4 m; Capacity 45 passengers + 3 crew. Front seats. 2 engine speedboat: Length 11.6 m; Width 2.83 m; Capacity 32 passengers + 3 crew. Front seats. 1 engine speedboat: Length 8.1m; Width 2.40 m; Capacity 15 passengers + 3 crew. All boats are in good condition. Prices start at 600 000 THB. Vladimir, sales@joydive.asia, 084 182 8685.

Long Tail Boat For Sale

Ready to go “Long Tail Boat” with or Without Captain (Thai) Get special price, please call 085 781 9167 (English) Bangtao Beach, Phuket, B275,000, giorgionaef@aol.com 085 781 9167.

Boating deal of the year: 7.5m baht (reduced from 10m baht)

Due to serious health reasons, the owner must part with his beloved 80’ tour boat. New wiring throughout, power outlets, transformer and voltage meters. New upholstery throughout bar and entertainment area. Engines & generator fully reconditioned & serviced. All maintained to European standards. Ideal boat for quality day trip business. beachsando1@gmail.com 080 695 3933.

Steel boat for sale

32 metre steel boat for sale.

Built 2012, 2 x Cummings engines, 10hrs work only.

International REG. Excellent for live-aboard or ferry. Price 6MB. Contact: call Joe 087 8918912 or email joe@ similan-divers.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Beauty Salon with Equipment

For Sale, Nai Harn Beauty Salon with Equipment & lease, B290,000. Salon Equipment replacement cost is more than B300,000. All equipment shown as new. Must view to see excellent opportunity to purchase Salon for extremely good price in prime location. Call Nok for details 098 017 8818.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Restaurant set up for sale

A fully equipped restaurant in the highly sought after Boat Avenue mall in Laguna. Stainless steel kitchen, WiFi, bar counter, service area. Ready to go in days. Email: jukeboxphuket@ gmail.com 081 090 1608.

Looking for investor / partner

Looking for investor / partnership for Patong beach front location to start with Japanese and Indian restaurant.

Narin, narinpga@gmail.com 081 826 9390. @thephuketnews

CABLE TV PULSE TV. ASIA’S No.1 EXPAT TV

CUSTOMER SERVICE Sales Support Agent - 50K+ THB per month

140 channels (HD & SD) in English, French, German & Thai. All Premiership & Euro Leagues live plus all your favorite Soaps & Series from back home. ON-Demand Movie/TV Series library with over 700 of the latest titles, more added daily & with our CATCH-UP Facility (Records all Channels for instant Playback) you’ll never miss a show. This is not kodi – Our high quality set-top boxes come pre-loaded with our own in-house developed App backed up by our own high-speed Asia based Servers & Online Support Network. PULSE TV, sales@ pulse-tv.net +66(0) 99 316 6212.

Sales Support Agent required in Phuket to join FazWaz Real Estate’s Kamala branch. This role is helping our nationwide real estate business deal with property buyers in both Thai and English who are looking at purchasing a new property across all of the six major locations we cover in Thailand.

You should have great writing and speaking skills and some experience in customer service or sales. Any other languages are a massive benefit but must be fluent in both English and Thai. Aphida, 73/142-143 Moo 3 Tambon Kamala, Amphur Kathu, Phuket. aphida@fazwaz.com, 098 742 6687.

CAR FOR SALE

The Bangkok law firm PUGNATORIUS Ltd. provides its foreigner-focussed legal support and assistance through a trusted partner law firm in Phuket. For a protected corporate structure in full compliance with the law. For a comprehensive due diligence which truly lives up to its name. For a most efficient hotel business licensing process. For a more competitive design of the property development. The PUGNATORIUS advantage is badly needed at a place where foreign investments are typically built on sand. Protect your investment in paradise.phuket@pugnatorius.com, (00) +66 22 072 647

2014 Nissan Juke For Sale

2014 Nissan Juke, one owner, full history, leather interior, rear sensors, climate control. Perfect Phuket runabout, only 82000km. 530,000, soiana56030@gmail. com, 0950 924 729

Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G VVTI

2013 - 35,000km - Automatic White - CD Radio, Air-con, Alloys Excellent Condition, Only used for school runs. 525,000, Duang, Royal Phuket Marina, gavinmullins@hotmail.com 083 093 9724. e Urg

nt

s

al e

Honda Jazz 2009 1500cc Auto

57,000km. One owner since new.

Regularly serviced by Honda. Tax and Insurance until the end of June and available now at right offer. Reduced by 40,000 bht, REDUCED to 330,000bht o.n.o, Andy +66846909144, andysmalster@gmail.com

Convertible

Mercedes CLK 200 Cabriolet W-209 Brabus Package - seat 4. Excellent condition and fun to drive. 37,400km.

1,199,000 Bht. Eng - Thai 094 695 3536 / 063 992 3226.

FINANCIAL, LEGAL

Bangkok law firm in Phuket

GARDEN, PATIO ITEMS Tiya’s Hammocks new shop offer

Native Habitat Phuket - Tiya’s Hammocks new shop location now open opposite Tesco Lotus Extra Samkong, Phuket Town near Fascino Pharmacy. Come now to try both Luxury and Colorful hammocks and pick your favorite ones. Perfect for a gift, souvenir, your own home or villas, resorts and beach clubs for your guests. Open Tue Sun 10:00 to 19:00. Mention this advertisement to get extra discount 5% on top of our standard discount table.

HammockPhuket@yahoo.com, 089 600 0041

MEMBERSHIPS Life Time Family Membership

Blue Canyon: 750,000 THB includes 140,000 transfer fee.

Loch Palms: 425,000 THB includes 72,000 transfer fee.

Tanita, 094 695 3536 / 063 992 3226.

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Buy&Sell

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

MEMBERSHIPS

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Loch Palm Golf Membership

Lifetime Loch Palm Golf membership for sale. 400,000 baht, the Loch Palm transfer fee of 72,000 baht will be shared equally between the buyer and seller. sales@ joydive.asia

Phuket Country Club Golf Membership

Golf membership for sale, includes transfer fee of 60,000 THB. 450,000, David, dsgrabham@yahoo.co.uk 087 881 7545.

MOVING SERVICES Looking for a Moving Company?

With over 15 years of experience Bigmove Phuket is the number 1 provider of moving and shipping in and out of Phuket Thailand. We provide storage in a state of the art clean, secure, storage facility located centrally in Phuket. www.bigmovephuket.com 081 797 5377.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

PROPERTY FOR RENT

Beautiful Land in Rawai For Sale

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE

Beautiful mountain view with option of sea view land of 742m2 for sale in Rawai with chanote title.

For more information contact 085 790 2021.

Honda Tena 110cc two-stroke

New rims, tires, brakes, fork seals, head stem bearings, headlight and more. 4-speed clutchless semi-auto. Green book. 098 705 2706. B15,000 ONO.

MUSICAL LAND NEAR WATERFALL FOR SALE

Colin Hill is now offering:

Live Music: Solo, acoustic, easy listening, to full event band. Professional, quality, legal live music for any budget. Guitar lessons: Beginner to very advanced. Guaranteed fast results. Also Bass lessons to intermediate level. Home School tuition: English, Geography, History, Social Studies grades 7—10. Qualified Secondary School Teacher with Diploma of Teaching.

English language tuition: For Thai students or adults. www. colinillyhill.com / 089 777 3063 / illy@3bbmail.com.

PUBLIC NOTICES Notice To The Public

Mr Anuchit Aomthonglang whose photo appears, Position was Customer Service Representative is now no longer employed by Go Vacation Thailand (DER Asia Tour Co., Ltd.) as of June 1 2017.

Go Vacation Thailand would like to state that it does not take any responsibility for this person’s actions.

Ms Sarochinee Urachuern, 849 Worawat building 7th floor, Silom Rd, Bang Rak 10500, kunchlipa.u@ go-vacation.com, 022671202, 022671128

WEBSITES, IT For Sale: hoteldealsphuket.com

PHD has 125,000 pages indexed in Google and an average of 22,000 page views per month!

See stats image. Also see the selling points on the link below. Quick sale: 33.000B!, Mark, mr.m.hopkins@gmail.com

Prime Kathu land with panoramic views and quiet location. Starts from 400sqm.

Perfect for private Villa. Close waterfall with more land plots and different beach!!! Start from 2.5 MB, K. Pam, Phuketmyhouse@gmail.com +66 (0) 94 829 3619.

COMMUNITY

Rawai Naiharn with spa pool

Unique thai style home, open plan, close to beach and shops, AC, 3 bedroom 2 bath with spa pool, must see! 0908674849 Eng 0810819875 TH.

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UTo rent: 1800 m2 of concrete slab with 5m high walls + 500 m2 of parking. Heroine Monument area. Roofing may be arranged, long term and serious interest only. Open to ideas, Leo: 081 821 4064.

Long term luxury Villa

Luxury 2 bed villa available for long term rental 10 minutes from Patong with outstanding sea views from B95,000 per month. We have other villas available for shorter rentals. Contact Justin 084 242 6952 (Eng) or Tan 094 596 2558 (Thai).

PROPERTY FOR SALE 4 bedroom house in Chalong

4 king bedrooms (one with ensuite, the others with dedicated bathrooms), 5 bathrooms (1 with a bath, the other showers), Living room, Morning room (lounge/diner), 2 studies, Home cinema, 7 seater, DVD/CD library, 2 carports, 3 separate entrances (+ 5 French windows, a total of 8 exits). Property is at the end of a quiet Soi near Big Buddha, no passing traffic.

It overlooks a stream and jungle. The garden is 12 years old with bananas, papayas, mulberry bushes, cherry bushes, flowering plants and shrubs and several palm trees. There are frequent bird visitors…2 birdbaths. Just a few minutes drive from Tesco and Villa/Home Pro on Chao Fa West. Only 12 min drive to Central or big Tesco/Big C/Makro. 16.9MB (negotiable). Area of the site: 137.9 square wah (approx 560 square metres). To view, call 081 415 5522 or email m.allen.phuket@gmail.com

House For SaleIn Land & House Park Chalong Phuket

House For Sale In Land & House Park Chalong Large house and land block 330sqm in size. With three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Price is negotiable. B5.9 million. Call Ken on 081 968 6552. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

SPORT 29

F1 returns to Azerbaijan One of the most controversial races in the calender gets a rename BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

T

his Sunday’s (June 25), the Azerbaijan Grand Prix may be the country’s second Formula One race, but the event has had little difficulty garnering attention during its short tenure on the calendar.

The dubious titling of the first race as the ‘Grand Prix of Europe’ in 2016 – despite Azerbaijan being closer to Baghdad than Brussels – raised eyebrows, and its deliberate scheduling by then commercial rights boss Bernie Ecclestone to clash with the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans race outraged motorsport fans worldwide.

With Formula One now under new commercial ownership, however, the sport has addressed some of the more problematic aspects of the race. The renamed Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been shifted in the calendar not only to avoid clashing with the famous Le

@thephuketnews

Sahara Force India F1 Team’s Mexican driver Sergio Perez steers his car at the Baku City Circuit last year during what was then called the European Formula One Grand Prix. Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP Mans endurance race but also to give teams a free weekend on either side of the grand prix to move more easily in and out of the tiny seaside capital, Baku.

But inescapable is the fact that Formula One was brought to Azerbaijan not for its rich racing history nor for any particularly memorable racing circuit; F1 is in Baku for the money in a deal characteristic of Bernie Ecclestone’s reign

over the sport.

F1’s new commercial bosses have been keen to emphasise their intention to preside over an era of sporting reinvigoration. Bringing Formula One closer to its core fan base and expanding into new motorsport-enthusiastic territories are among F1’s highest priorities today – but these values are obviously incongruent with the philosophy underpinning its contract with Baku.

Greg Maffei, CEO of the company that bought F1’s commercial rights at the beginning of the year, wasted little time highlighting the discrepancy, saying in a conference earlier this year that Azerbaijan pays “a big race fee but it does nothing to build the longterm brand and health of the business”.

Race promoter and Azerbaijani MP Arif Rahimov was understandably unhappy.

“It does upset us obviously,” he told Reuters. “Mr Maffei has been involved in F1 for less than half a year.

We’ve been working on this project for three years now, so we have more experience with F1 than them.

“I think saying something like this is ignorant, but we’ll see.”

It’s hardly the sort of prerace build-up the grand prix promoter will have wanted for the race’s sophomore running, but the prospect of a hardfought grand prix could spare both sides of the argument their blushes.

Mercedes and Ferrari remain locked in a tight championship battle, but the peculiar characteristics of the Baku street circuit will make mastering this weekend a difficult affair.

Baku’s long straights will favour Mercedes and its classleading power unit, but the low-energy corners, most of which are 90-degree turns, are similar to those that caused the Silver Arrows problems with tyre warm-up in Russia and Monaco.

Worse still is that Pirelli is bringing the same medium, soft, and supersoft tyres as it did last year, but with all compounds one step harder in 2017, Mercedes’s difficulties could be exacerbated further.

Mercedes’s strong showing at F1’s last round in Canada suggested it was at last coming to grips with its car’s unhappiness with the tyres, but if its optimism proves premature it might open the way for another unlikely podium for Force India.

The pink-liveried team had an extraordinary weekend in Azerbaijan last year, when Sergio Perez qualified second behind Nico Rosberg and finished third in the race.

Force India has marked itself as the best performing midfield team in 2017, and with a Mercedes engine powering its aerodynamically efficient car, another weekend of heavy points scoring could be on the cards.

Don’t forget to tune in to Live 89.5 each and every Saturday from 9am for the Box of Neutrals radio show.

30 SPORT

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Srisaket-Gonzalez rematch in Sept BOXING T H E SR ISA K ET SOR Rungvisai and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez rematch will take place on September 9, organisers said this week.

The venue has not yet been confirmed but it will be either Las Vegas or Los Angeles.

T he f ig ht will be on HBO’s Boxing After Dark programme and televised live on the network.

T h a i l a nd’s Sr i s a ke t , known locally as Srisaket Nakornloung, dethroned Nicaragua’s Gonzalez with a majority decision to win the WBC super-flyweight title at New York’s Madison Square Garden in March.

Two judges scored it 114112 in favour of the Thai, while the other saw it 113-113.

It was one of the biggest upsets in boxing history as Gonzalez was a 14-1 favourite to retain the title.

After the first loss of his career in 47 fights, the Nicaraguan, regarded as the best pound-per-pound fighter before the bout, said he thought he won and demanded an immediate rematch.

The WBC ordered a rematch as the fight was so close.

Matt Pond editor3@thephuketnews.com

“Considering a public demand to witness once again a great match between these two great fighters, the WBC has granted the request by a unanimous vote to order the rematch between Sor Rungvisai and Gonzalez,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said in a statement.

Gonzalez will be looking to avenge his loss to Srisaket.

He said recently that he was ready for a second battle with the Thai to reclaim his crown as the king of the 115-pound division.

Sr isa ket said he ha d nothing but respect for the 29-year-old Gonzalez.

“But I am the champion and I intend to keep the belt.

I am training hard for the upcoming rematch,” said the 30-year-old champion.

Bangkok Post

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run #1638 Saturday June 24 Run Start Time: 4pm Hares: WTFIA, Kiss My Ring, S Here Location: Nai Harn Directions: From all directions. Go to Naiharn B, and from there go towards Promthep Cape, after going about 300 metres up the hill the HHH sign will be on the left.

Laager site will be on the football field Bus pick-up: Kamala @ Black Cat’s Bar: 2:30pm Patong @ Expat Hotel: 3pm More info: phuket-hhh.com

Cruzeiro Academy player selected for Philippines FOOTBALL

Roman Gonzalez (left) and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai during their title fight. Photo: Al Bello/AFP

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

A

s is the aim with most football academies, the British International School, Phuket’s (BISP) Cruzeiro Football Academy aims to provide the training and education necessary for those within the academy to become elite football players.

And now, after three years since its inception, the work by coaches and players at Cruzeiro appears to finally be paying off with one of their long-standing members recently being selected to represent his home country, the Philippines.

Having now been at the school for 16 years, initially joining when it went by its original name Dulwich International College Phuket, 18-year-old Francis Hosking, who is a dual Filipino and British national, has been a member of the BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy since its inception.

Hosking tells The Phuket News that football was his favourite sport since he was six, “I did play then, but it wasn’t at a high level and due to that

Hosking (right) shakes hands with an opposing team member following a game late last year. Photo: Facebook I had no interest in it being a career option. This was mainly due to my belief that I wouldn’t be able to up my level.”

However, when the school set up the academy three years ago Hosking came to the attention of Head Coach Jonathas Candido who asked him to join.

“When I joined I was one of the only non-scholarship players to make the starting 11 and starting A team, but Coach Jonathas saw the potential in me, and it was him that gave me confidence on the pitch which resulted in me playing better and better.

“Even the other coaches and people and families around the school started realising that I was playing better than I did before.

“The academy improved my play tremendously because I got to play with players from different countries with different abilities and levels and that really pushed my game to the next level,” Hosking told The Phuket News in a recent interview.

“But even up until recently I wasn’t sure about becoming a footballer. But that all changed in April when I was invited to

train with the Filipino national team for a weekend, and it was here that I actually got a chance to see what a top footballer is and how he plays.

“Despite myself only being 18 and the other players being in their 20s or 30s, I felt I could hold my own against them and that I could match their ability. And it paid off as they said they were interested in me playing for the national team,” he explained.

However, despite the coaches of the Philippine national team announcing that Hosking has made the grade for the main squad, despite him still being at an age where he perhaps would be better suited for the U21s or U23s, to ensure he makes the grade for the starting 11, playing for a pro team would be of great benefit.

Although at this time he isn’t signed with a pro team, in August he is set to trial with a number of teams in the Philippines including Meralco Manila, formerly the Loyola Meralco Sparks; Ceres–Negros Football Club, Ilocos United, Global Cebu Football Club and Kaya Futbol Club–Makati who have already got trial dates booked in their diaries.

Government gives support for three major events BADMINTON THE GOVERNMENT AND Badminton World Federation (BWF) have thrown their weight behind the Badminton Association of Thailand’s (BAT) efforts to organise three major tournaments next year.

The tournaments are the Princess Sirivannavari, the Thomas and Uber Cups and the Thailand Open which will become a top-tier Superseries event.

Tourism and Sports Minis-

Officials and players pose at Tuesday’s (June 20) press conference. Photo: PR Department ter Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul told a press conference that the government was pleased to play a role in developing and promoting badminton.

“The tournaments will be part of the government’s sports

tourism policy,” she said.

They will not only be good for Thailand’s sporting circles but also the country’s economy as a large number of foreigners will visit during these tournaments, Kobkarn said.

BAT president Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul said it was a great honour that Thailand had been chosen to stage the Thomas and Uber Cup finals.

The Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup are normally held at the same time at the same venue.

It will be the first time for Thailand to host a Superseries tournament as the Thailand Open has been granted that status for at least four years from 2018-2021, Patama said.

Bangkok Post

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

SPORT 31

When Jimmy does politics Trump gets stick on ‘childish refusal’ to adhere to climate change FISHING

CAST AWAY

Donald Trump might think that the hole in the ozone layer is only this big. Photo: AFP

Jimmy Stewart info@fishinginphuket.com

W

ell me cockle shell heroes, after being accused a month or so ago of deviating from my remit of writing on the subject of “Fishing in Phuket”, and as there’s not much happening at sea, I thought this month I would venture into the realms of international politics, Mr Trump in particular.

Shiver me timbers!

Having watched Trump’s maiden voyage to the Middle East and Europe, and his childish refusal to listen to anything related to global climate change, it occurred to me this would be the perfect excuse for me to become a “political pirate” and try to defend Mother Nature against the ravages of this egotistical “Typhoid Mary” of a president who continues to give the rest of the world the “Black Spot”, or in modern jargon “The Finger”, which could lead to the end of sea sports as we know them, as the sea floors turn to desert and ocean life, born in these dying nurseries,

becomes extinct.

Taking the Andaman Sea as an example, we have to appreciate that this “shallow” sea is more vulnerable than most to the warming effects of climate change, and the coral bleaching around the Similan Islands a few years ago was an obvious illustration that global warming is a fact and not fiction which seriously affected our local diving/tourist industries.

While the Thai authorities restrict visitors from accessing certain marine national parks in a bid to conserve their irreplaceable treasures, more real and irreparable damage will be

done to our reefs if America and other short-sighted countries continue to pump CO2 into the atmosphere.

Thailand’s Andaman Sea, being tropical, could actually, if given time, be the saviour of the oceans as there are Andaman corals which can withstand small temperature increases beyond that which can be tolerated elsewhere.

But I am even more pessimistic now than ever that science has the time to clone, graft or otherwise export this natural advantage to the rest of the world’s seas before the impending catastrophe where three quarters of the earth’s

surface and 50% of our oxygen source is decimated by a “Put America First” slogan.

Although I appreciate the argument that the world has seen dramatic temperature changes in the past, Trump does not seem to comprehend these happened over a considerable timescale which allowed the sea-life to change and slowly adapt to present day conditions. But this “man-made” global change is happening at a rate of knots that even Mother Nature just can’t keep pace with.

It has to be appreciated, that all ecosystems are single intrinsic units and by killing

any part of the system you destroy the entire structure.

To put things into perspective, it has been three million years since the CO2 content of the atmosphere was as high as it is right now, making 2015 “globally” the hottest year in recorded history and 2016 surpassing even that with projections for 2017 looking worse as our CO2 emissions continue unabated.

It’s crazy, President Trump on one hand enthusiastically supports and encourages the scientific community when it designs new and more devastating weapons of war, but when it comes to “climate change”, scientists are treated like a hostile political opposition, who like all politicians, are more than capable of dishonesty and fabrication. However, “everyone” should know: Science is incapable of lying, as everything in science has to be proven and repeatable, with all the relevant information available and open to all.

To me this only confirms that the American administration has a gaping crater in its logic about the size of the hole in the ozone.

Until a few years ago any local fisherman could tell you what fish to expect at any particular time of the year, as, up until then, fish were predict-

able, but this is no longer the case, so this, plus looking at the television news, or even just gazing out the window recently, convinces me that Mr Trump has got to get his head out of his stern – ASAP. But back now to what should be the main topic of the article, fishing.

May and the beginning of June was like dropping anchor in sunny Glasgow waiting for a break in the clouds, which never came. But on the positive side, we are now proud to announce that the “Chalong Fishing Park” lake is now full to capacity and as “Jez” can’t quite yet afford to retire on the money from the new overflow pipe water, he would like to encourage all you local fisher-folks to come visit, drink, or drop a line, and he will promise to stop his “rain dancing” which was so necessary as the new loch (Scottish for lake) settled down.

This brings me to the native American I met last week.

This cheeky, one eyed Indian tried to tell me that he was also a pirate and went on to explain, he was half "eye-patchy". Lord, do they get worse?

As usual, tight lines to all and get out there, while the going is “still” good.

Jimmy – fishinginphuket.com

Phuket FC beaten by academy squad FOOTBALL BISP CRUZEIRO ACADemy’s last match of the school year was held last Sunday (June 19) against Phuket FC, and by walking away with an outstanding 3-0 over the pro

side, the boys from Cruzeiro marked the end of a successful football season for the team.

Despite constant rains battering down on Phuket over the past few weeks, last Sunday turned out to be a hot and sunny morning which brought in about a hundred spectators

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made up of parents, teachers, students as well as Phuket FC fans who were there to encourage both teams.

From the start of the first half Phuket FC played aggressively, forcing the BISP team to maintain their defensive position. The home crowd cheered on as the goalkeeper protected the net from one particular goal that Head Coach Jonathas Candido says could have changed the course of the entire match.

“I am very pleased with

the defensive shape the boys showed out on the field after initial strong, yet foiled attempts by Phuket FC to score during the first half,” said Candido.

However, there was a big turnaround in the second half with BISP dominating almost the entire 45. And it was indeed in the second 45 that the BISP’s three goals came.

“I feel that this has been the Academy’s best year yet. We played a total of four games and won three of them. It

Cruzeiro make one of their many second-half attacks against Phuket FC. Photo: Matt Pond seems to me that the athletes have finally embraced the ‘Cruzeiro Philosophy’,” he says.

The upcoming year will see the BISP Cruzeiro Academy

compete in a tournament in Bangkok in September in which nine new players will be added to the team.

The Phuket News

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Cruzeiro Football Academy player gets int’l selection > p30

RISING STAR Phuket girl Ein, 17, will be a name to look out for in world golfing

Saranporn hails from Chalong but made her move to Bangkok in 2017 hoping to raise her game. Photo: Thaipga.com

EXCLUSIVE Matt Pond editor3@classactmedia.co.th

T

hailand has introduced many excellent players to the world’s golfing stage in recent years and Saranporn “Ein” Langkulgasettrin is looking like a solid bet to be the next one.

The 17-year-old Phuket native recently won the inaugural Singha Phuket Open 2017, but more recently, just last weekend in fact, she scooped her 10th title as a professional when she closed with a 4-under par 68 for a 4-stroke victory at the Orient Masters Wuhan Challenge. Ein finished on 13-under 203 in the tournament which was held in the Hubei province of China.

The Phuket News was lucky enough to speak to Ein following her win last Sunday (June 18) to find out more about her and her golfing career.

Born on December 9, 1999, Ein hails from Chalong and most of her education was undertaken at Satree School Phuket. However, in 2014, she made the move north to Bangkok to further her career as a pro golfer.

It was at the tender age of three

when Ein first picked up a golf club; following in the footsteps of her golf-loving father, she explained, “When I was three years old my dad loved to play golf, every time he went to play he took me to the course and this is when I first picked up a golf club.

“That wasn’t such a bad move in my opinion as by the time I was nine I had won a charity golf tournament,” Ein said.

“After winning that event I told my dad how good it was to hold that trophy, I wanted to know how I could get more.”

And it was shortly after this initial trophy win that Ein’s potential was first recognised.

“I’m not exactly sure but I think it was one of my dad’s friends who first thought I could make it as a pro golfer. The friend told my dad that one day I’d be professional and would be seen on the LPGA tour,” she said.

When asked if the recent win at the Singha Phuket Open 2017 was her biggest win to date, Ein told The Phuket News, “Hmm, the Singha Phuket Open win wasn’t my biggest since I turned pro. My biggest win was at the ‘ICTSI Philippines

Ladies Masters’ held in Alabang in the Philippines. This event was co-hosted by the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golf Association and Ladies Philippines Golf Tour back in December.”

Prior to her victory at the Singha Phuket Open 2017 a confident Ein had said that she felt that she would win the event, asked why she felt so positive, Ein said, “Well the main reason was because I was playing in my home town, and to be honest, that was the main thing on my mind.

“But the win didn’t really sink in until after the final hole when I thought to myself that I had really made it and that I must have made my home town proud.”

Since the Singha Phuket Open 2017 it’s been a full-on schedule for Ein that has seen her heading straight to Beijing to compete in the Le Coq Sportif Beijing Ladies Classic, which is part of the China LPGA Tour held at the Beijing Orient Pearl Country Club, where she finished in 8th position.

“Straight after that I went to Hong Kong for the ‘EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open 2017’ which is also part of the China LPGA Tour and held at the old Hong Kong Golf Club.

“I finished in 4th place with rounds of 76-67-65 (+4,-5,-7) and came in 8-under par.

“And my last event outside of Thailand since the Singha Phuket Open 2017 was last weekend’s Orient Masters Wuhan Challenge, the third tournament of the China LPGA Tour season held in Hubei province.

“I shot 68-67-68 to finish 12-under par and give me the win,” she said.

And it wasn’t such a bad win as it was worth RMB75,000 (approximately B370,000).

Following the win Ein said her goal now was to prepare for the LPGA Tour qualifying school later in the year.

However, she also praised her father for his guidance and said her prize money would go to him.

“I’m just going to say hey, thank you for helping me as always. He’s always helping me in everything.

He’s my friend, my dad, my coach, my manager, sometimes also my brother,” she said with a laugh.

When asked for her opinion on Phuket’s golf scene, Ein replied, “I think it’s got a lot bigger since I left Phuket, there are far more new

golfers and I hope they can become good players.”

The Phuket News was also interested to know if Ein had a golfing dream she wanted to fulfil, and if she did, what would that be.

A very modest Ein said, “I want to play on the LPGA tour events representing Thailand. But if I manage to achieve this, it comes with a very big condition, my dad would have to either be watching me compete or carrying my bag,” she said jokingly.

And to prove how modest Ein really is, when asked if there was any particular person she looked up to in the golfing world and why she looked up to them, her reply, “Normally I don’t like to compare myself to anybody, I like to watch other players who are better than myself as this is one major way for me to improve my game.”

To wrap up the interview, The Phuket News asked if Ein if she saw herself becoming as successful as recently crowned World No.1 Ariya Jutanugarn?

Again, it was a modest reply, “Yes I wish I could be there one day. I’m not going to wish for it, but I will work for it!” thephuketnews